And This Is His Story
by Zappy Zaps
Summary: At age five Tommy Paris' life takes an intersting turn when his is abducted from his home. Epilogue posted!! *COMPLETE*
1. Prologue

And This Is His Story  
  
By Zappy Zaps  
  
Summary: AU At age five Tommy Paris' life takes an interesting turn when he is separated from his family.  
  
Rating: PG-13 (not this part, but the later ones)  
  
Author's Note: Thanks to Brigid for beta reading this story!  
  
Prologue:  
  
Little Tommy Paris was so excited. Today, November 9^th, was his birthday and he was turning five. His parents were throwing a party for him. Some of his friends from kindergarten where coming and the children of some other Starfleet captains, commanders and admirals. It was a busy day for the adults. Trying to keep so many children in line for hours was never an easy job. Owen and Emily Paris breathed a sigh of relief once the last person had left. Now all they had to do was clean up.  
  
Tommy was playing with his new toys. His favourite was the model of a galaxy class Starship. He pretended that he was the pilot and they were trying to get away from the bad aliens that where coming after him. While he was playing he remembered what his father had said to him months before.  
  
"Daddy!" Tom yelled and ran to the kitchen looking for his father. He wasn't in the kitchen "Daddy!" Tom yelled again and ran to the living room where he found his father clearing some of the glasses the guests had used.  
  
"Yes, what is it?" Owen asked his son.  
  
"You promised that we would go to the Academy so that I could fly!" Tom reminded him. Tom had been interested in things that flew since he was two and the interest had not abated over the years. Owen had promised him that they would go to the academy flight simulators when he turned five. He thought that Tommy would have forgotten but he hadn't. Owen sighed.  
  
"Alright-"  
  
"Yay!" And Tommy ran away to go spread the good news to his mother and sisters before Owen could even finish his sentence. Owen smiled and shook his head.  
  
"Tommy go away!" Owen could hear Moira yelling at her little brother. Being eight years older than Thomas, she found him to be more of an annoyance than anything else. Tommy never got tired of bothering his sisters. Kathleen was the second oldest and was six years older than Tommy.  
  
Tommy got his wish and a few days after his birthday he and his father went to the Academy Flight Simulator. Tom was a surprisingly good pilot. He had an amazing talent. His abilities quickly made him a hot topic of discussion and Tommy became somewhat of a child prodigy.  
  
Tommy always wanted to go to the flight simulators to try a new program. Owen had just come home from a bad day at the office and just wanted to relax. As soon as Tommy saw his father he went over and started asking him about going to the simulators again. Tommy was babbling about all the things he wanted to try and didn't notice that his father was not in a good mood. When Owen yelled at him, Tom was startled. He silently looked at his father for a few seconds and then scurried away.  
  
Owen exhaled deeply and looked down at his feet. He hadn't meant to yell at Tommy. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked into his wife's compassionate eyes. "I'll go talk to him," Emily said softly and kissed her husband on the cheek. She walked away and went to find her son.  
  
Emily knew where to find Tommy. And as always she was right. Up the stairs and down the hall was a sitting room with a large bay window. Tommy would sit there and look at the stars whenever he was troubled. Sitting in front of the window, gazing heavenward, was Tommy. The soft light from the stars and moon glinted off his hair creating a golden halo on his head.  
  
"Tommy," Emily walked over to where Tom sat. He looked up at her and a soft smile came over his features when he saw who it was. She sat down close to him and pulled him inter her lap.  
  
"Hi, Mommy," he said softly. He leaned against her and she ran a comforting hand through his soft hair. They sat there together, looking out at the stars for a while before Emily announced that it was his bedtime. Tom yawned, snuggled closer to his mother and closed his eyes. Emily stood and picked up Tommy at the same time. Turning around she began walking. Tom had opened his eyes and looking over her shoulder with sleepy blue eyes he gazed at the stars again. "One day, Mommy, I'll be up there."  
  
"One day." She whispered to the child who was already asleep in her arms. "But not today." She put him to bed. A few hours later the house was silent. Each person in bed and sleeping, or trying to sleep. In the master bedroom Owen tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Emily moved in her sleep trying to get more comfortable. Owen carefully slipped out of bed and crept towards the children's rooms. Tommy's room was the was the closest one to the master bedroom. Owen looked in expecting to see his son fast asleep but instead he found an empty bed.  
  
Tommy was standing at his window flying his toy Starship against the starry backdrop of the sky. Owen just stood there and listened for a minute. Tommy was whispering orders out like he was the Captain of the Starship. Owen smiled. Only five and he was already Captain material. Tommy would be a Captain someday, it was in his blood.  
  
"Tommy," Owen decided to make his presence known.  
  
"Daddy!" Tommy said turning around quickly.  
  
"You should be in bed." Owen said softly.  
  
"I had a bad dream." he said, looking down at the toy ship in his hands. Owen frowned. Usually Tommy would come to him when he had a bad dream. "I didn't want to bother you." Tom continued softly knowing that he would have usually gone to his father for comfort but he hadn't that night. Owen walked over to Tom and crouched down so that they were on the same level.  
  
"Tommy, I'm sorry I yelled at you." Owen apologized. "I'll take you to the simulators on Sunday."  
  
"Promise?" Tom asked cautiously.  
  
Owen smiled, "I promise." Tommy returned the smile and hugged his dad. It didn't take much to make children happy. "Come on. You have to go to bed." Owen picked up his son and carried him to the bed. Tommy snuggled into the sheets as Owen tucked him in.  
  
"`Night Daddy." Tommy whispered and closed his eyes.  
  
"I love you." Owen whispered. Owen got up and was making his way out of the room when he heard the sleepy reply.  
  
"Love you too." He smiled and left the room. After making a stop in each of the girls' rooms to check on them Owen went back to bed to try and get some much needed rest. That would be the last time he would see his son until ten years later.  
  
In the shadows of the night they crept closer to their target. With ease they bypassed the security system and entered the house without alerting anybody. With soft steps one went upstairs while the other two searched the office of Captain Paris. Down the hallway and the second last door on the right was where the dark figure went. Pulling out a hypospray he crept closer to his unsuspecting victim who lay in bed sleeping peacefully. He pressed the hypo to the child's neck. He waited a second before picking the youngster up so that the drug had enough time to work. It would keep the child asleep while they made their escape.  
  
The three figures plus one little addition left the house and the little red light on the panel that signalled that the security system was active came on again. They had not taken information, jewels or credits. Instead they had taken something more precious than all of the material possessions combined.  
  
The next morning Emily Paris woke up early. She had slept well and thought that she should get an early start on the day. She put on a robe and walked down the upstairs hallway. She peeked into Tommy's room but saw that he wasn't there. She assumed that he was probably downstairs playing with his Starship already she didn't think anything of it. Checking on her still sleeping daughters, she made her way downstairs. She replicated a cup of coffee and walked around the first floor of the house looking for her son. She searched for several minutes but could not find him. Worry clutched her and she ran upstairs to wake her husband.  
  
They searched the house together again but still did not find Tommy anywhere. Owen finally called the San Francisco Authorities and Star Fleet Security. They came over to the house immediately and began their investigation. The city authorities and the SF Security team worked together in the investigation and uncovered evidence of outside tampering with the security system. Checking the logs they found that there was a four-minute period when the security system had been deactivated by somebody outside the house. They came to a conclusion; Thomas Eugene Paris had been kidnapped.  
  
Tommy awoke in an unfamiliar place. He looked around. It looked like the back compartment of a shuttle like the ones in the simulations at the Academy. He heard approaching footsteps and hoped that it was his Mommy or Daddy but he knew somehow that whoever was coming was not one of his parents.  
  
A tall man walked in and looked at the child who looked back at him. "Who are you?" Tommy asked in a small voice. The man didn't answer only walked over to the child sitting at the edge of the bunk and crouched down before him. The man had dark brown eyes and dark, almost black hair and he had a soft bronze skin colour.  
  
"You'll be staying with us for a while." The man said plainly.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because your daddy has something we need and I'm certain that he'll trade you for it." The man said and walked to the exit. After one look back at the child the man closed the door and locked it.  
  
Back on earth Captain Paris was in Starfleet Headquarters talking with the officers who where in charge of investigating his son's kidnapping. It had been thirty-six hours and they had not received any messages from the kidnappers. Starfleet had some ships searching for the kidnappers but they had little to go on. This was important to Starfleet not only because the child of a high ranking officer was kidnapped but because that high ranking officer was working on an important project that could mean big trouble in the wrong hands.  
  
"We're receiving a hail!" One officer said as he ran into the room where his superiors were conversing. The group hurried to the subspace communications set up in the next room. They had rerouted all incoming transmissions from the Paris household to headquarters.  
  
The black screen came to life and displayed the face of a man with dark hair and tanned skin. "By now Captain Paris should have realized that he's missing something," the man began.  
  
"Where is he? Where's my son?" Owen asked impatiently.  
  
"I assure you he's fine but he won't be for much longer unless I get what I want. What do I want? I think that you know. The new torpedo schematics. I have several buyers already."  
  
"We can't give you that," said Lt. Commander Martin, who was in charge of the investigation.  
  
"Then you've just signed Thomas' death warrant." The man on the screen said and began walking out of the camera's range.  
  
"Wait!" Owen cried.  
  
"I hope that you'll be more co-operative now." The man came back into the camera's range. He started giving them instructions on where to make the drop when a low rumbling was felt. "On second thought, it seems we won't be needing your help!" And with that he ended the transmission.  
  
"No!" Owen yelled as the screen went black. What about his son?  
  
"What was that?" a young officer asked. Looking out the window they could see pillars of smoke rising into the air.  
  
"It looks like it's coming from the research facility," another man stated.  
  
"Confirmed. There's been some sort of attack. Copies of the torpedo schematics were stolen," said Martin, who had just communicated with the research facility.  
  
Owen Paris was not listening to the discussion going on around him. He was still staring at the black screen. What about Tommy? He had just lost his chance to get his son back.  
  
Tommy was still in the aft section of the shuttle. He did not know where he was but he knew he wanted to go home. Voices from the cockpit of the shuttle drifted back and Tommy could hear what they were saying.  
  
"Why didn't you wait? We have the kid. They would have traded for him!" one voice yelled.  
  
"We saw an opening and we took it," A woman yelled. "What does it matter? We have what we want."  
  
"What about the child? I told you we wouldn't need him." A different male voice said calmly.  
  
"He was the back up plan. Yesterday you said that you wouldn't be able to get into the facility," the first man reminded him.  
  
"I was wrong. Still, what do we do about the boy?"  
  
"Let's just dump him somewhere. They'll find him sooner or later," another man said.  
  
"Let's just kill him." Said the calm male voice.  
  
"No..." the woman protested. The people in the cockpit argued over what to do with the child until their leader finally made a decision.  
  
"We'll keep him for now. Who knows, he might come in handy the next time the Federation has something that we want. Let's get out of here."  
  
If they continued talking then Tommy could no longer hear them. His heart beating so quickly, his breaths coming even faster and the sobs that racked his body drowned out the voices. The man Tommy had seen first, the same man who brought him his meals walked into the room where Tommy was. He saw the child crying and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Will you shut up!" His yelling only caused Tommy to continue crying.  
  
"I want to go home!" he sobbed. The man's crafty mind decided to use the child's fragile state to his advantage.  
  
"We tried to get them to come for you but they wouldn't. They don't want you."  
  
"No." Tommy didn't believe the man.  
  
"It's true they wouldn't trade what we wanted for you. They don't want you back." The Dark man spent the next few minutes convincing the little boy that his parents and family didn't want him and after a while Tommy began to believe him.  
  
"What will happen to me?" Tommy asked in a small voice.  
  
"You can stay with us, Thomas." The man looked at Tommy, his face an expression of sympathy and compassion. This man however Tommy would learn to fear.  
  
Weeks later in the Paris household all was quiet. The girls were playing in their room. Emily Paris sat on the floor in front of the bay window where Tommy used to go, only this time it was her troubled thoughts that brought her here. In her hands she clutched his starship, his favourite toy.  
  
It's been weeks and they still had not found her son or the people who took him. They had few leads to follow. Starfleet had launched a search for Tommy but had not found anything. Starfleet Security had also modified the security systems in homes of high ranking officers and other prestigious people who might be at risk to this sort of thing so that it would never happen again. However, for the Paris family it was too late.  
  
"Mom," Emily turned and saw Moira, her oldest child approaching. Moira was thirteen and the leader of the Paris children. She sat down next to her mom who pulled her into a hug and held her for a long time.  
  
"Mommy," this time it was Kathleen who approached but she didn't sit down. Emily could see the streaks on her face and the tears in her eyes that still threatened to fall.  
  
"Honey, what's wrong?" Emily asked.  
  
"I....I miss Tommy," She said and began crying again. Emily held out her arms to her second daughter who gladly accepted the comfort only a mother could provide. Next to her, Emily heard Moira softly crying, she too missed her baby brother and was scared. Emily pulled her close as well and it wasn't long before silent tears streamed down her own face.  
  
When Owen came home later that night he found Kathleen asleep with her head in Emily's lap and Moira lying next to Emily, also asleep. Only Emily was still awake. She heard Owen behind her and turned her head so that she could see him. Owen joined her on the floor and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "Nothing." He said softly. Another long day working at Starfleet and they still had not found any signs of their son. Today, though, had been especially hard. Since Tommy's abduction he had been working away frantically, always believing that his son was out there somewhere, alive and well, but today he had recieved a violent jolt back to reality.  
  
Owen had gone to take a break and grab something to eat. He heard voices coming from the room where the replicator was located. He continued on but as he walked through the doorway what he heard stopped him in his tracks.  
  
"They probably would have killed him. Having a child with them would only slow them down."  
  
"They may have dropped him off somewhere hoping that we would find him and if they did we'll find him." Captain Janeway said to Commander Martin standing next to him. They both had their backs to the entrance.  
  
"But if Tommy saw their faces then returning him would be out of the question. They'd have to get rid of him." The Commander argued his point. Janeway remained silent. "I'm just saying, the odds aren't on the kid's side-" the Commander turned around and dropped his cup of cappuccino when he saw who was standing in the doorway. "C-c-captain," the man stuttered. Janeway turned around just fast enough to see his friend storm away.  
  
Janeway quickly followed and tried to offer words of comfort but Paris wasn't interested. Captain Janeway had been at Tommy's birthday party along with his wife and two daughters, even though his girls hadn't been interested in playing with a five year old. Janeway imagined what it would have been like if Kathryn or Phoebe had been taken away from him and he knew that was how Owen was feeling right now.  
  
"Tommy will beat the odds." Owen mumbled to himself.  
  
"Pardon," Emily hadn't heard what he said.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
End Prologue  
  
Comments to [1]zappyzaps@hotmail.com please. If nobody's interested in this story then I probably won't continue it so please contact me and tell me what you think.  
  
References  
  
1. mailto:zappyzaps@hotmail.com 


	2. Part 1: Future Encounters

And This Is His Story 1  
  
By Zappy Zaps  
  
Thank you to Brigid for beta reading this story  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: Characters, Thomas Paris, Chakotay, Harry Kim are not mine. I don't get any money for this blah blah blah...yada yada yada...you know the rest.  
  
Part 1: Future Encounters  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"Stop moving."  
  
"Why don't you just use the regenerator?"  
  
"Because we can't waste the power on little cuts," the older man said to the ten year old in front of him. This cut was not little though. The large gash on the right side of his forehead was bleeding profusely. "How did you manage to get this, anyway?"  
  
"You try get the Captain out of a bar after he's been drinking," the child scoffed. He reached up and touched the right side of his forehead. The stinging sensation when his fingers touched the gash caused him to hiss in pain and pull his hand quickly away. He had been sent to the surface to search the local bars when their designated time of departure had arrived with no captain to be found.  
  
"Thomas, don't touch. You're just going to infect it," the man said. "What did you do, walk into a broken bottle?"  
  
"Let's just say, next time I should watch where he's swinging the broken bottle," the young boy explained. Murphy put a bandage over the gash.  
  
"Finished. Clean yourself up and get some rest."  
  
"Thanks, Murphy," Thomas said quietly as he touched the bandage on his forehead. Murphy was the ship's engineer and, unofficially, the ship's medic. He was human, with ebony skin and out of all the members of the crew only Murphy and one other looked out for the young boy. Thomas quickly wiped off the blood off his face and left for his quarters.  
  
Walking to his quarters he didn't meet any of the other team members but he didn't find that odd. It was a pretty big ship with only six people kept it running. Five years ago only five people ran it but then Thomas had joined the group and became the sixth member.  
  
Since then they had been training Thomas as one of them; a thief, a conman, escape artist, and given him training in demolition, weapons, self-defense and the list of less than appropriate activities for a ten year old goes on. They were not an easy bunch to live with and if Thomas weren't so good at what he did, he probably would not have made it this far. Despite his age Thomas was very independent. He had to be. There was no one here to take care of him. When he was younger the crew helped out in his care more often but now of himself.  
  
"Thomas," a female voice called him. The boy turned around and saw Takara coming towards him and smiled. She was the other person that had taken care of him when he first came aboard, and to some extent she still did. "Have you started on the exercises that I gave you?" she asked. Her slender dark brown eyes, evidence of her Japanese heritage, looked down into his.  
  
Thomas nodded and said "I've finished them,"  
  
"Already? I only gave them to you this morning." Takara had given him some math and science problems to work through since he wasn't going to school but needed to know the basics so that he could learn about warp engines and other things. One day he might be helping Murphy with repairs; he was already flying for them, who knows what else he could be capable of.  
  
"What else am I supposed to do?" Thomas shrugged. There wasn't much for a child to do on this ship. They had a holodeck but it was only used for training. Thomas usually spent his free time reading anything and everything. Whenever they visited a planet or a space station, Thomas would look for new texts to read and if he was lucky he might find a vid that he could watch. He had a few but had watched them over so many times, he could recite each line from memory. Only Takara and occasionally Murphy, would make sure the material that the boy had found was suitable for somebody his age.  
  
"True." Smiling at him, she pushed an errant strand of black hair from her face and patted him on the shoulder before continuing on her way. Tom watched her for a few seconds before he turned to go to his room. He paused and thought for a moment. It wasn't that late. Maybe he could go and find something to do around the ship. From around the corner he heard Takara yell: "Go to bed!" So much for that idea. He shrugged and went towards his quarters.  
  
A few weeks later they where prepping for a mission in the holodeck. The ship was parked on the dark side of a moon in an uninhabited star system. All six members of the crew were assembled in the holodeck. They had to prepare carefully for this mission since they were going into Federation space. Their objective was just inside the boarder of the Federation but it was a big tourist spot so they had to be very careful on this mission.  
  
This wasn't the first time since Thomas had joined the team that the Federation had something that they wanted but they never considered trading Thomas, even though doing so was well within their power. Thomas was more valuable to them as a partner than he was as bait or in a trade. With his help they could get what they wanted without giving up anything.  
  
"Myself, Takara and Thomas will be going in as tourists," said their captain, Douglas. He was a muscular man with light brown hair and hard features. Douglas was half human and half another species from outside of the federation. Whatever features he had which where not human were not expressed physically; he looked completely human. He kept the crew in check with threats and with his fists and that went double for Thomas. For one reason or another, Douglas despised Thomas and was harsher towards him. "Mec, I want you and Vaiyer to stay on the ship. Watch out for Starfleet vessels and monitor our progress." They nodded. Mec was half-vulcan and half-betazoid. Out of all of them he was the calm one, rarely displaying emotions. Mec was short for his given Vulcan name. It was an odd combination of species in Mec but his personality held a strange balance of the two. Vaiyer was the other man/woman. Vaiyer was from a species from outside the Federation whose people did not have  
distinguishable sexes. His skin was a light grey and it was easy to see some blood vessels below the skin. He also had very small ears and no hair. Vaiyer was a tall and skinny being with an elongated cranial structure. In personality Vaiyer was much like Douglas and like Douglas he kept his distance from Thomas. "Murphy you're going to be going in with us as back up," Douglas said and Murphy nodded. "Here's the plan...  
  
A few days later Douglas, Takara and Thomas arrived on the planet. Not too far behind them was Murphy. They were all dressed in civilian clothes and blended into the crowd of people. Thomas also wore a black headband that covered the scar on the right side of his forehead. They where in a large open area like a small park that was located in the middle of the business section of the city. This particular park was a big tourist attraction. Around them were families enjoying the pleasant weather and the scenery.  
  
Takara looked at Thomas. She could tell the he was excited when he saw other children his age playing. She could see the longing in his eyes to be playing with them. Thomas may be an important member of the team and experienced beyond his years but he was still just a child with the same needs and desires as all children.  
  
Thomas watched the father of one little boy lift him up and placed him on his shoulders as the child laughed. Thomas envied the boy; he had a real family that loved him. Thomas felt a wave of bitter emotions flow over him the last one being intense sadness as he thought of his family who didn't want him.  
  
Takara watched the emotions play over his features before he hid them away. Douglas would only get mad at him if he saw Thomas acting like a weak child. "Come on," Douglas said and they began to move towards their destination at the other side of the small park. They didn't notice the dark haired child sitting on his father's shoulders watching them go.  
  
In this job as in most, it was Thomas' job to go in first and let them in since he could fit in places that the others could not. They walked the perimeter of the building until they found a small access hatch. Carefully and inconspicuously removing it, Thomas crawled in and Douglas replaced the cover. Now Douglas and Takara only had to wait for Thomas to open the side entrance where they were waiting.  
  
A few minutes later the side door opened and Thomas stood there. Douglas didn't give a word of commendation to the boy, walking right past him. Takara patted his shoulder once as she walked in. Thomas smiled and closed the door silently. He liked Takara and wanted her approval more that anyone's even if she was a girl.  
  
The three crept quietly and carefully through the building. This particular building was storage for items confiscated by Border Patrol and a storage place for large quantities of goods waiting for transport. They had a buyer lined up who was interested in buying one of the items, which had been confiscated when it was being exported from the Federation by smugglers. They had to find it, set up pattern enhancers and then leave undetected. When they were leaving the planet they would beam it up to the ship. The thick metal of the building prevented them from beaming it up from orbit but the pattern enhancers would remedy that problem. Quickly they found what they were looking for while they avoided cameras, security patrols and took out internal sensors. A few minutes later they emerged from the side access where they had entered and walked away as if nothing had happened.  
  
"We'll meet back here in forty minutes." Douglas informed them. He walked away from the other two to go see Murphy and tell him they had some free time. Thomas began to walk off but Takara grabbed the back of his shirt collar.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked him.  
  
"To get something new to read and maybe get some new vids." Thomas intended to make full use of this opportunity to get new reading material.  
  
"I'll come with you." Thomas smiled faintly and together they went to explore the shops.  
  
About thirty minutes later Thomas was sitting on a bench in front of the fountain where some kids where playing. Thomas was looking through what he had gotten while Takara did some shopping of her own. One of the children approached. Thomas looked up from his purchases. In front of him stood a boy who was a few years younger than him; maybe four or five years old. Thomas recognized the boy as the same happy child who had been playing with his father when they had first arrived. Thomas didn't say anything so the other boy spoke first.  
  
"Hi, I'm Harry Kim," the little boy introduced himself "What's your name?"  
  
"Thomas."  
  
"Do you want to play?" Harry asked, hoping he would soon have another playmate.  
  
"No, thanks," Thomas answered politely. The boy was too young to be any fun. Tom went back to looking at his new possessions. Harry looked at the boy in front of him for a few seconds before he sat down on the bench next to Thomas.  
  
"Are you here with your parents?" Harry asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"I am. I'm on vacation before I go back to school. Where do you live?" Harry said.  
  
"On a ship." Thomas didn't look up.  
  
"A real starship?" Harry asked excitedly. He liked travelling on starships. "Wow!"  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"You don't like it?" Harry asked, noticing that Thomas didn't seem very happy with his current accommodations.  
  
"It's alright." Thomas said neutrally.  
  
"You should be thankful for what you have." Harry said, repeating what he had learnt at school. Thomas looked at Harry and then looked around, seeing what he was missing.  
  
"I have nothing to be thankful for." He said solemnly looking down.  
  
"Thomas! Here! Now!" Douglas yelled. Thomas looked over his shoulder and saw Douglas with Takara. He could tell by their stance that something was wrong. Thomas began packing up the PADDs and data chips quickly.  
  
"I have to go," he told Harry quickly. Harry watched in confusion as the other boy got up.  
  
"Harry!" Harry and Thomas looked to the person that had called and saw an older woman who vaguely resembled Harry. She was smiling and waving for Harry to join her. Harry started to get off the bench.  
  
"That's my mom." Harry explained. He was going to run over to her immediately when he paused and looked at Thomas. "You're luckier that you think," He said. Thomas looked thoughtfully at Harry for a second. He had already seen that the universe was not a fair place. One day Harry would know the same thing but hopefully not too soon.  
  
"Before today I may have agreed with you," Thomas said, now understanding more than before what he was missing. "Don't take what you have for granted," Thomas said looking over at Harry's mother. Harry followed his gaze and smiled at his mother. When he looked back to where Thomas had been standing, he was no longer there.  
  
"What the hell took you so long?" Douglas asked angrily. He grabbed Thomas by the collar of his shirt in a grip that was so tight it choked and prevented Thomas from responding.  
  
"Hey!" one human man who had been passing by, saw what was going on and was coming to Thomas' aid.  
  
"Vaiyer we need a transport now!" Takara said into her communications device. A second later the three disappeared just before Thomas' would be saviour reached them.  
  
"Let him go! We have other things to worry about," said Vaiyer. Douglas glared at the child in his grip for a second more before roughly shoving him towards the helm. Thomas gasped a few times before he took his place at the helm. Vaiyer was right, they had bigger problems to attend to. There was a large vessel on an intercept course.  
  
"Beam the cargo up!" Douglas ordered.  
  
"I can't! They must have raised the shields around the building!" Murphy said. "I can't get a lock!"  
  
"At a lower altitude you could beam it up," Thomas suggested.  
  
"Did anybody ask you?" Douglas yelled at him. Thomas started bringing the ship into the atmosphere of the planet.  
  
"The signal is getting stronger," Murphy said. The ship continued to descend. "I've got a lock! Transport in progress!" Douglas was fuming in his seat at tactical. "Got it! Let's get out of here!" Thomas started a rapid ascent as soon the ship jumped to warp and exited Federation Space.  
  
Douglas slowly rose from his seat and walked to the helm. In the reflection of the control panel Thomas saw him coming. He put the ship on autopilot a moment before he was roughly hauled out of his seat. Douglas used both hands and grabbed Thomas by the collar and lifted him up. His feet dangled a few feet above the floor and hid head was above Douglas'. Douglas slammed him against the nearest bulkhead and held him there. Thomas' head connected solidly with the hard metal surface and he winced.  
  
"What were you doing?" Douglas yelled at the boy. His fists were pressing into his neck and Thomas once again was unable to respond. "I give the orders around here!" He slammed Thomas into the wall again. "Do you get me?" Douglas yelled at him harshly. Thomas nodded weakly. Douglas pressed him against the wall before letting go and letting him fall to the ground. He looked at the boy at his feet for a moment before leaving the bridge. Vaiyer left with him.  
  
Thomas sat there gasping for air for a minute before he got up and went back to the helm. He sat there not touching the controls. He felt the back of his head and could feel a bump forming, a physical reason for the headache he was getting. He took off the headband that he wore and let out a deep breath. He thought about the boy that he had met on the planet. //Yeah, I've got a lot be thankful for// he thought sarcastically.  
  
In the corridor of the ship Vaiyer and Douglas walked towards the cargo hold to check their new acquisitions. They walked in silence until Vaiyer spoke.  
  
"He was right," he said looking forward, not at Douglas.  
  
"And I hate him for it," Douglas said.  
  
"I think that you're afraid that one day he'll be better than you."  
  
"I am not afraid of a child. I can kill him easily."  
  
"Today maybe, but one day he will surpass you," Vaiyer stated. They were silent the rest of the way to the Cargo Bay. Thomas was a smart and resourceful child. He picked things up quickly and if his progress continued he would surpass the skills of those who trained him in a matter of years. Vaiyer knew it and, though he would never admit to it, Douglas knew it too. He vowed on that day to make Thomas' life on this ship, under his command, more difficult than ever before.  
  
Two years later Thomas was in the holodeck with Mec doing some physical training. They had another difficult assignment coming up and Thomas would be going solo on this one. Currently Thomas was standing on a long slender beam. Mec was standing next to him, spotting while Thomas attempted some moves. Around the holographic room were several other apparatuses. The large room looked more like a gym where gymnasts practice but with slight differences.  
  
"Again." Mec ordered. Thomas lined up his feet on the narrow bar and performed two consecutive back walk-overs. "Good." Mec commended him. This was just the warm up. Mec explained to Thomas what he was supposed to next.  
  
Mec has been working with Thomas for years, improving his physical strength and endurance and flexibility. Children are all flexible to a certain extent but as they grow much of their flexibility is lost. Many of the exercises Mec created were specifically designed to help Thomas retain some flexibility as he grew.  
  
Thomas was now on the open floor doing some tumbling. This was no normal floor though. Upon activation three-foot rods would emerge from different areas on the floor and using their sensors they would aim and fire a short energy burst. When one of those energy bursts hit a person the muscle in that area would contract painfully like a muscle spasm for a few seconds before relaxing. They could change the intensity of the burst so that it would cause the muscle to contract for a longer or shorter period of time. Not only did this train him to avoid weapons fire but also how to continue while injured and in pain.  
  
"Thomas," Mec called him and Tom ended the last little routine with an aerial before he ran over to where Mec was. Mec placed the special covering over the left side to the young boys chest. The energy burst could not penetrate that material so it would protect Thomas' heart. Thomas prepared himself and a moment later Mec activated the floors system and watched as Thomas easily avoided every shot and deactivated each rod. To deactivate a rod it had to be struck somewhere on it and it would lower back into the floor. The exercise was soon over. Mec commended him on a good performance and concluded that he was ready for the mission.  
  
Thomas slouched against the wall of the small room. He sighed for the umpteenth time in the few minutes that he had been trapped. He looked over to the other person who was trapped with him. The man wore a black and red uniform. Thomas guessed that he was from the organization called `Starfleet'. He didn't know much about it only what he had read and what the others had told him, which wasn't much. Douglas and the others were being more careful to keep him from learning about Starfleet. It felt to him like they were hiding something from him but he didn't know what, nor did he inquire. He had done that once and only managed to incur the wrath of Douglas.  
  
"What's your name?" Thomas looked over to the man leaning on the adjacent wall. It was the second time the man had asked. Thomas hadn't responded the first time and was not interested in responding now. It was the older man's fault that he was stuck here now anyway. He looked away and heard the adult sigh in frustration. He wasn't the only one frustrated right now.  
  
Thomas' mission had been going perfectly before those stupid Starfleet officers had shown up. Granted they were in Federation space so it was Thomas who was trespassing but they still ruined his mission. It seems they weren't the only ones interested in the decrepit old Starship had crashed on a rogue planetoid. The small, damaged Starship had crashed here after being pulled in by the gravity of the planetoid. The crew had abandoned the doomed ship and left the Cargo behind. It was one small piece of that Cargo that Douglas had found a buyer for. Starfleet was only here to investigate what had happened and to make sure that there was nothing harmful on the ship. The mangled vessel still had an atmosphere even though the planetoid did not have enough mass to keep a heavy one of its own.  
  
Thomas had managed to stay hidden from them even though their scanning devices had said there was another person on the ship. Thomas had finally made it to the Cargo hold and found what he wanted. All he had to do was get out of there and contact his ship to pick him up and the mission would have been complete but then it happened. The reactor to this ship finally went critical when some of the engineers where trying to stabilize it. The rest of the Starfleet away team managd to get to the beam out point and had been beamed out but due to their close proximity to the reactor the officer and Thomas could not be, nor could they send any communications.  
  
As the reactor went critical power conduits ruptured and plasma was released into the air causing explosions. In the chaos Thomas had come across the other man. He was going to continue his attempt to escape but the Starfleet officer had other ideas. Although Thomas was probably trained as well or better than the other man he was still only twelve years old and the larger man easily over powered him. The officer decided to take refuge in room a that did not have too many power conduits near it. It was some sort of holding cell. No furniture just four plain, dark walls. When the explosions had died down somewhat they tried to get out but there was something blocking the exit and the door was jammed shut; thus their current predicament.  
  
"We may be here for a long time." The officer stated. "I just want to know your name," there was silence in the room and the man didn't think the boy would respond.  
  
"What's your name?" Thomas asked, not looking at the man.  
  
"I asked you first."  
  
"If you want me to answer your question you'll have to answer one of mine."  
  
"Chakotay."  
  
"Thomas,"  
  
"Thomas what?" Chakotay asked. There was no forthcoming response. "What are you doing here?" Chakotay asked another question. The boy didn't move or say anything. He was wearing all black and had on a backpack, sunglasses and a black head band. "A little dark for sunglasses don't you think?" The only lighting in the room was provided by the little fluorescent light that Thomas had turned on and the wristlight that Chakotay had.  
  
"They aren't sunglasses. They allow me to see things that I can't see with the naked eye. I just like them tinted." Thomas said. The dark tint prevented Chakotay from seeing the boys eyes. They sat there in silence for a while longer. The temperature in the room was increasing slowly but steadily and they soon found themselves sweating and thirsty. Thomas was prepared for just about anything so he had a few bottles of water with him. Chakotay however was only expecting a simple away mission and thus had not come with all the gear. Thomas took a drink from one bottle and tossed another one over to Chakotay.  
  
"Thanks," Chakotay said and drank from the bottle of water. Thomas finished drinking before Chakotay and put the bottle away. He pulled out one of the weapons that he had on him. Chakotay looked at it but he didn't recognize it as any phaser or disrupter he had ever seen before. It looked more like and old firearm that shot projectiles. "What is that?" Chakotay asked.  
  
"A gun," Thomas said as he pressed the small button the released the empty bullet cartridge. The gun was modeled after late twentieth/early twenty-first century guns. Chakotay remembered seeing guns in old vids from earth and had read about them when he studied earth's history.  
  
"You used all the bullets?"  
  
"I had to get the case open and I was in a bit of a hurry." Thomas told him. He jammed in the new cartridge and put the weapon away.  
  
"What are you doing here anyway?"  
  
"My job," said Thomas. Chakotay left it at that.  
  
"What's your rank?" Thomas asked, taking the opportunity to learn more about Starfleet.  
  
"Ensign," Chakotay told him. Tom turned his head to really look at the other man trapped with him. He was muscular looking and hard dark hair and skin darker than his own.  
  
"Where are you from?" Thomas asked.  
  
"Dorvan V," Chakotay said, "It's a small colony at the outskirts of the Federation, not too far from Cardassia." Thomas looked away from Chakotay. After a minute of silence Thomas took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"How old are you?" Chakotay asked him, thinking that this boy was far too young to be out here under any circumstances. Where was his family?  
  
"Twelve," Thomas said looking over to him and young blue eyes met older brown ones. "How ol-" Thomas was stopped in mid-sentence when the doors blew open with a resounding bang in the small room. Thomas immediately stood, put on his glasses and pulled out his weapon, aiming it at the smoke filled opening. If it was more Starfleet officers he wanted them to get their man and leave him alone.  
  
When the smoke had cleared Thomas saw Douglas and Mec standing there. Thomas put his weapon away and went to join them leaving Chakotay alone in the room. "Did you get it?" was Mec's question. Not `Are you okay' or any such inquiries as to his well being and Chakotay wondered who they were.  
  
"I have it." Thomas said just before Douglas hit him hard on the back of head.  
  
"How did you screw up this time?" Douglas said in anger.  
  
"Hey!" Chakotay began to approach but stopped when the man who hit Thomas pulled out a weapon and aimed it at him.  
  
"The reactor started to breach. He saved me." Thomas said quickly so that Douglas wouldn't hurt the other man. Chakotay didn't say anything and neither did Douglas but he lowered the weapon. They turned away and made their escape. Chakotay left the room as well and went to an area that was not as close to the reactor and contacted his ship, which quickly beamed him aboard.  
  
Despite looking, no ship appeared on sensors. Chakotay had told the Senior staff of his ship about the boy he had met down there. The staff had been ordered back to their duties and to continue the investigation of the crashed ship, but the Captain had kept Chakotay back to talk to him. Chakotay had given a brief description of the boy he had met and Captain Martin had taken interest in who the child was.  
  
"Did you get his name?" Martin asked.  
  
"Yes, he said his name was Thomas." Chakotay told him wondering what was going through the Captain's head. The name Thomas conjured a vague memory of something from years ago but he couldn't put his finger on it.  
  
"How old did he look?"  
  
"He said he was twelve years old. I'm fairly certain that he's human so he may be twelve in earth years," Chakotay said.  
  
"Did he look it?" Martin asked. Chakotay nodded. Martin was lost in thought for a moment before he remembered that the ensign was still there. "You're dismissed, Ensign." Chakotay nodded and left the briefing room. Martin continued to sit there thinking. That couldn't be Thomas Paris could it? The boy Ensign Chakotay described fit the description and the age was right but the chance that was Thomas Paris was slim to none. He would send a report to Starfleet Headquarters on earth telling them what he thought and leave the rest up to them. Maybe he could finish the job he had started seven years ago.  
  
End Part 1: Future Encounters 


	3. Part 2: High Tides

And This Is His Story 2  
  
By Zappy Zaps  
  
Part 2: High Tides  
  
3 years later.....  
  
The white, snow capped peaks extend to the horizon and beyond. The cold crisp wind funnelled between the peaks and valleys swirling the freshly fallen snow into smooth patterns over the white canvas. Not a single animal track disturbed the snow and other than the soft swaying of branches laden with snow, only one other thing in the seemingly infinite mountain range moved.  
  
His feet securely binded to the long, flat, polymer board he shifted his weight and the snowboard carved another smooth turn into the snow. The S-shaped pattern was quickly covered by the blowing snow, leaving no evidence of this or his previous runs down this slope. He came to a stop half way through the run and allowed himself a moment to enjoy the spectacular scenery and hopefully achieve some semblance of the inner peace he had been missing for the past months.  
  
His own strong emotions were not the cause of his current mellowed stated, rather it was the emotions of the rest of the crew. His life with Takara, Vaiyer, Murphy and the others had always been turbulent, life in general was difficult due to their occupations but the situation had worsened. Tensions where high and tempers flared often. Arguments occurred almost daily and usually resulted in a minimum of one of the crew taking a trip to sickbay for injury repair. The cause of the sudden wave of unrest was unknown but maybe it was inevitable. Their lives were far from stable. They had more enemies than could be counted; many of whom they probably didn't know of, they're wanted criminals in several star systems, and they where always finding their way into more trouble.  
  
He sat down and looked up into the clear blue sky knowing that somewhere floating above him was their ship and the other five people that helped to run it. He could imagine their voices as they yelled at one another. He could see the look in their eyes of barely restrained rage. Lowering his head and took a deep breath. The air escaping his lungs froze the instant it came into contact with the chilly mountain air until the little cloud dissipated leaving the air crystal clear once more.  
  
Thomas sighed to himself. This wasn't the life that he had been dreaming of when he was younger. He remembered dreaming of flying starships and he was now but it was becoming more and more clear to him that this wasn't the life he had imagined. In all those visions he had been the hero, not the villain. He was a criminal and no matter what the others said, he knew the thing they were doing were wrong but what else could he do. As Murphy never failed to point out, he was good at what he did. He sighed again as he thought of his deteriorating friendships. Murphy had been more hostile towards him lately and Takara....he wasn't even going to continue that line of thought.  
  
The distant sun of this planet was beginning to set and the snowy peak of one of the far mountains created a bright glare in his eyes. It was enough to pull him from his thoughts. Standing he dusted off the snow that clung to his body. He could feel the chill seeping through the thick material of his suit. It was time he moved on. He looked up to where he imagined his ship was and pondered briefly where he wanted to move on from.  
  
He hopped turning his board parallel to the steep incline of the mountain. It was better to keep moving -less time to think. He finished his last run down the slope before pressing his comm. device twice and the program in the computer database beamed him back up to the ship.  
  
Upon rematerializing on the transporter pad the weight of all the recent problems came back to him and the feeling of calm that he had managed to attain was rapidly fading. Compared to the fresh mountain air the atmosphere of the ship was stuffy and stale. The walls seemed almost suffocating compared to the extending, open mountain ranges. It was probably his apprehension making each difference seem much greater.  
  
Removing the thick jacket, the hat, the goggles and the board form his feet he left the empty transporter room and wished for an uneventful and solitary walk through the corridors to his quarters, but he was not so lucky. As he passed the door to main Engineering he could here. Murphy yelling at somebody. Thomas stopped in front of the door and put his things down along the wall where they would not be in the way. He then walked into Engineering.  
  
In Engineering with Murphy was Vaiyer and Thomas instantly knew he had to do something to stop this fight or one of them may not survive this encounter. Vaiyer and Murphy had never really gotten along and in the past months they had been in several fights and every time it got physical the injuries to both parties were numerous and serious. Thomas approached the two. Vaiyer had his back to Thomas and Murphy was to enthralled in his argument to notice that someone else had entered. He called both their names as he approached them but they didn't hear him or they ignored him. Before Thomas reached them the argument became a fistfight.  
  
"Stop it!" Thomas yelled as he tried to pull Vaiyer off of Murphy who was pinned against a console. Vaiyer lashed out at the person trying to restrain him and soon had Thomas pinned to the floor. "Vaiyer! Get off me!" Thomas shouted. Vaiyer however didn't even seem to realize whom he was attacking. All he knew was that he wanted to hurt somebody. Vaiyer punched Thomas once, which was enough to get him to retaliate. Using his legs he managed to push Vaiyer off. Rocking back onto his shoulder blades he did a handspring and he was quickly up on is feet again. Vaiyer didn't waste anytime and ran at Thomas to attack him again, Murphy long forgotten. Using his momentum Thomas flipped Vaiyer and he landed with a thud against the hard floor. Thomas pinned him to the ground so that he was on Vaiyer's back. It was taking all his weight to keep the other being down. He linked each of his arms under and around Vaiyers from behind him and clasped his hands behind the neck. Vaiyer  
couldn't use his arms to attack and was reduced to struggling under the weight of the teenager on top of him.  
  
"Vaiyer, Get a hold of yourself!" Thomas barked in his ear. Almost immediately Vaiyer calmed and after waiting few seconds Thomas let him go and stepped away from him. Vaiyer got up and looked at Thomas with an expression that he couldn't label before he quickly left. Thomas took a deep breath and wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth. He turned around and went to help Murphy who was struggling to get up. Thomas helped him up and saw Murphy was in a lot of pain. "I'll help you get to Sickbay," Thomas stated and began helping Murphy but was pushed away.  
  
"I've had enough help from you," Murphy snarled and headed towards the door.  
  
"What was I supposed to do? It didn't look like you were winning that fight!" Thomas yelled at the retreating figure. The doors opened, Murphy left, and they slid shut again. He glared at the closed door for a few seconds before leaving as well. What had Murphy expected him to do?  
  
In his room Thomas dropped his snowboarding equipment in a corner and picked up his black headband. He had taken to wearing it at all times to cover the scar on his forehead. He went to the console on the wall. He called up a list of music and instructed the computer to play it. After turning up the volume until it almost drowned out his very thoughts he lay down on his bed with both hands under his head. He could feel the strong base of the song on every beat as he listened to the strange blending of sounds. He could almost hear Takara complaining about his preference in music. He listened to hip-hop/rap, alternative, some dance and techno and some jazz. Most of the music he had was from Murphy's collection. Murphy collected music where as Thomas collected anything that you could read or watch. He had taken a particular fancy towards the older music selections from earth, especially those from the twentieth and early twenty-first century. The song playing at the moment was  
by a popular rap artist named `Snoop Dogg'.  
  
Reaching over to the nightstand he picked up the PADD he was currently reading. It was something Murphy had given him on warp theory. He was almost finished it and then he had to read the one about quantum mechanics. The knock on his door was unexpected he called for the person to enter. Takara walked in with a PADD in her hand. She tossed it to him on the bed and walked out without a word.  
  
Things had definitely gotten worse. He and Takara barely talked, since she had entered a relationship with Douglas. Thomas cringed. Why Douglas of all people? Why not Murphy, even Mec was a better choice. He had tried to warn her but it she had only gotten angry at him and they haven't really talked since and the argument was three and a half months a ago. Douglas wasn't a good person for her, or anybody to be involved with. He was violent, temperamental, stubborn, domineering and more. He had told her all of this and she had ignored his warnings, or maybe he wasn't telling her anything she didn't already know. He saw bruises on her arms but when he asked about what happened she only became angry. She went through considerable lengths to avoid him now and he wouldn't admit it but he missed her company, her guidance and most of all her friendship.  
  
A few weeks later they had parked the ship in a local yard while they spent some down time in the city. The situation on board had worsened with each day and they were all eager to get away from each other. Thomas disappeared into the less reputable area of the city. He felt more accepted here than in the nicer area of the city where decent people were; he didn't belong with them, not after all the things he had done.  
  
He got into a bar and conned people out of their money. He didn't need their money but he needed something to keep him occupied and if they were obtuse enough to have someone con them out of their money, it may as well be him. The barmaid had seen him come in and knew that he was under the legal drinking age for the city but hadn't kicked him out; he didn't appear to have anywhere else to go.  
  
Thomas was thoroughly enjoying himself. Despite people loosing their money to him on one of the games in there, they found themselves charmed by the teenager. With his charming smile and personality it was hard not to like him. Douglas however didn't have that particular problem. At the slightest aggravation he would become angry at Thomas. He left the bar in the wee hours of the morning and went back to the ship.  
  
He walked out of the transporter room and started the walk to his room. A door slid open and Takara walked out of the room. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her shirt as she walked down the hallway. So preoccupied with making herself looking presentable again she nearly bumped into the taller figure in front of her. She looked up into Thomas' eyes and looked quickly away. He opened his mouth to say something but words failed him. She walked past him and he kept his eyes glued to the floor. After a moment of silent anger he continued walking. He passed the door which Takara had just exited and noted that it was also Douglas' quarters. He face creased with disgust as he came to the awareness they had just consummated their relationship, again. He glared at the door to Douglas' quarters and walked past.  
  
The next day in the holodeck Thomas had just completed a training program while Douglas did the monitoring. Today he started on a higher training level, the same one the others used when they needed to practice. They had considered it too difficult and too dangerous for someone as young as Thomas but he was fifteen and Douglas was never really interested in Thomas' welfare so if he had been injured during the program he wouldn't have cared. Thomas walked over to the wall console that Douglas was at.  
  
"How did I do?" Thomas asked knowing Douglas was looking at his score. Before he could see what his score was Douglas turned it off. Thomas stared at the now black screen before saying: "Are you going to tell me what my score is then?" Douglas looked at him with the same resentment that he always did before he walked out of the holodeck. //I either did really well or really badly// Thomas thought to himself.  
  
Meanwhile Douglas walked into the `lounge'. There wasn't much to it, a table a few chairs, a replicator and a window. Vaiyer was already inside having a meal. He looked up when he heard the door open and then went back to eating. Douglas sat down in the seat across from him. "How did it go?" Vaiyer asked before taking another bite.  
  
"Well....too well." Douglas stated.  
  
"His score,"  
  
"Two hundred eighty-three,"  
  
"Better than yours." Vaiyer said casually. Douglas slammed his fist into the table.  
  
"Better than everybody's!"  
  
It was 1030 and there was a meeting being held on the bridge. Thomas sat at his usual post at the helm and yawned. //Why did they have to have this meeting when I want to sleep?// he thought to himself. A seat away Muphy noticed Thomas' fatigue. //What is it with teenagers and sleeping late?// he thought.  
  
"We found our weasel," Vaiyer said, even though he wasn't completely certain what a weasel was. `Weasel' was what the rest of the crew was calling one of their clients that had cheated them. He had taken the goods and had only provided half of the agreed upon payment. By the time they noticed they were missing some of the payment `Weasel' had left the system and taken a trip to the nearby nebula where they lost his ion trail.  
  
"I didn't know we were looking for him." Murphy said and Vaiyer ignored him.  
  
"A man going by the same alias as the man that cheated us has been around here lately." Vaiyer said.  
  
"Who's your contact?" Thomas asked.  
  
"That's not your concern." Douglas said.  
  
"How can you be sure it's the same person?" Thomas asked a second question.  
  
"We aren't, that's why were going to stake out a few of his known hang outs and see what turns up," Douglas explained angrily. Thomas just shrugged. "Takara and Vaiyer you'll be one team, Murphy and Mec, which leave myself and the boy." `the boy' glared at him. Douglas proceeded to tell each group where they would be scouting.  
  
Several minutes later Thomas and Douglas entered another bar looking for weasel. This was the third bar they were visiting. They now had a vague description of what weasel looked like thanks to the barkeepers from the previous establishments. Thomas and Douglas sat down at a table in the corner and scanned the crowd with their eyes. There were two men the matched the description and they had to decide which one was Weasel. They never actually saw what their client looked like when they gave him the cargo so they had to rely solely on the description and their intuition.  
  
"Him," Douglas pointed to the man with the bodyguards who was buying drinks for his comrades. Thomas shook his head he didn't agree.  
  
"Him," Thomas pointed to the other man who fit the description of weasel. The other man was sitting in a dark corner sipping a drink alone. Douglas gave the boy a look.  
  
"Weasel has money to spend. He's rich-" Douglas started but was interrupted.  
  
"And how rich do you think he'd be if he spent his money on bodyguards and buying everybody their drinks?" Thomas challenged. Douglas took another look at the two men who resembled weasel. "He probably has a lot of enemies if he cheats all his partners like he did us, thus why he's alone. Who could he possibly trust? There's probably a bounty on his head."  
  
"Why not the other guy?" Douglas was wondering what Thomas saw that he didn't.  
  
"That guy," he gestured to the man who was trying to be the center of attention "Has nothing to loose. He probably came across some quick money and is flaunting it while he still has it. In a few days he'll be on the streets again looking for a job. No matter how much money you have, if you lived like this every day you'd be sick of it or you'd run out of money so if Weasel has a lot of money then he wouldn't be doing this."  
  
"You sure?" Douglas asked.  
  
"I'd bet your life on it." Thomas smiled smugly. Douglas only glared at him and quietly commed the others to wait outside the tavern for their target to leave. They didn't have to wait long. Ten minutes later the man they believed was Weasel left the bar. Douglas was going to comm. the others to tell them that he was leaving the bar but Thomas stopped him. "We should trail him. He'll lead us back to wherever he has his ship and our payment. We can go there and get it ourselves." Thomas said. Douglas nodded after a moment and told the others what they were going to do.  
  
He tapped the code into the side door of the hangar where his ship was docked. He looked over his shoulder a few times before entering. He pushed the door closed and began walking towards his ship. After a few steps he noticed he never heard the sound of the door mechanism closing, which meant that the door hadn't closed. He turned around to go close the door but the barrel of a gun was poised only a few centimetres from his forehead and he stayed perfectly still. His eyes darted around looking at the six intruders. He didn't recognize them but guessed they were some of the many people he had cheated.  
  
"We finally meet face to face," said the man holding the weapon at his head.  
  
"Name your price," the Weasel ordered.  
  
"Oh? Our price?" the man lowered the gun "Well when you put it like that," the man said with false charm. "Vaiyer, Mec, inform him of the price of deception." Douglas ordered his crewmen and they advanced on the smaller man who made a feeble attempt to escape. They punched and kicked him until he couldn't stand without someone holding him up. Douglas snapped his fingers and they stopped attacking him. Weasel lay on the ground wheezing and coughing up green blood.  
  
Thomas sighed in relief when they stopped hurting the man. He had been expecting them to do this to Weasel but it didn't make it any easier to watch. Douglas approached the bloodied figure and crouched next to him. "Nice place you have here," he cast a look around the hangar noting the ship and several other crates and cases against the walls. "You should know that we'll be acquiring all of your assets when you're gone," he said looking down at the man with an evil glint in his eye.  
  
Thomas noticed the malicious smile on Douglas' face and knew what he was about to do. He looked to the others to see if they also understood, they did but none of them seemed phased a by it. Douglas pulled out the gun again and stood. "No," Thomas said quietly to himself. They can't kill him! "No, don't do it," Thomas said as calmly as he could.  
  
"Don't tell me what to do boy!" Douglas snarled.  
  
"We...we could use him, his connections-" Thomas tried desperately to think of an acceptable reason to keep Weasel alive, `killing is wrong' wouldn't change Douglas' mind. "He probably has other hangars with more-"  
  
"We can get that from his computer. He has nothing that we can't get ourselves," Douglas aimed the gun.  
  
"Wait-" before he could say more, the weapon fired. The sound of the shot echoed in the open area. Douglas lowered the weapon; the smile was still on his face. Thomas was frozen in shock for a few seconds. Rushing forward he knelt next to Weasel to check his pulse. Maybe he had survived, maybe he could still save him, but there was no pulse. The small circular hole in the forehead the trickled a small amount of green blood was the only visible evidence of the fatal wound. Slowly, Thomas stood and after taking a few deep breaths he turned to Douglas who was amused by the anguish he saw on the young person's face.  
  
"Mec get the ship here we have a lot of cargo to load," Douglas said without breaking eye contact with Thomas. "The rest of you start taking an inventory." The retreating foot steps informed him that they others were following his orders but Thomas just stood in front of him with fury burning in his eyes. Douglas began to walk past him but stopped when they were shoulder to shoulder and turned his head to look at the boy next to him. "Get used to it. You'll have to," Douglas enlightened him.  
  
"I don't want to be anything like you." Was the quiet but firm response.  
  
"Too late," and he walked away. Thomas stood there for several seconds, only turning when he heard the footsteps coming towards him. Takara approached him. He avoided her gaze and looked at the floor. She brought her hand to his chin and raised his head so that he was looking in her eyes. Distressed blue eyes looked into dark eyes that held more compassion now than Thomas had seen in her in years. She pulled him into hug and held him like the mother she had been to him all those years ago.  
  
With her arms wrapped around him, Takara made a decision. She wanted to leave this place and when she did, Thomas would come with her. She had to talk to Douglas, he would not be pleased but she had to let him know about the new life that was inside her.  
  
Thomas replaced the cover to the crate he had just looked through and noted its contents in the PADD he carried with him. He turned to open the next crate and out of the corner of his eye he saw Douglas leaning against a stack of crates and he hoped to God the stack would fall and crush him, just wipe that arrogant smile off the older man's face. Douglas walked over to Thomas who went back to work and tried to ignore the other man's presence.  
  
"I came to commend you," Douglas started but didn't continue.  
  
"For what?" Thomas asked.  
  
"For a job well done," Thomas turned to Douglas wondering what he meant by that. "After all without you we never would have found Weasel. If it weren't for you he'd probably still be alive.  
  
"I didn't pull the trigger." Thomas said angrily. He walked the short distance to Douglas until they stood toe-to-toe, eyes almost level with each other. Thomas was going through his growth spurt and was now nearly as tall as Douglas.  
  
"I should have let you kill him. It would have toughened you up." Douglas leaned forwarded and whispered: "Takara prefers men to little boys, I should know," With that comment Thomas felt the last of his control slipping away. He swung at Douglas and the two got into a physical fight for the first time. Douglas had intended for this to happen. He had hoped to anger Thomas enough to get him to fight him just so that he could have the pleasure of hurting him. A part of him just wanted to prove that he could overpower the teenager, prove that he was still the better thief and the better fighter; especially after tonight. Thomas had identified the their target while he had gone for the obvious and incorrect choice.  
  
The fight that ensued resulted in blows being taken by both parties but that last part of Douglas' plan was not coming true; Thomas was winning. Thomas soon had Douglas pressed against the cold metal wall and was threatening the adult with the same weapon that he had killed weasel with.  
  
"You won't kill me," Douglas said. Thomas pressed the tip of the gun to the back of his head.  
  
"Do you want to take that chance?" Thomas growled but he knew he couldn't kill Douglas. He heard the approaching footsteps and he wasn't surprised when the phaser was aimed at his head. He lowered the gun and stepped away from the Douglas who turned around and glared at Thomas who just looked at him with an unreadable expression before tossing him his weapon and leaving as Mec and Douglas watched him go. Thomas walked to where Weasel's ship was and nearly walked into Murphy when he rounded the corner. Murphy looked into his eyes as if searching for something. He found that something.  
  
"You don't belong here," he stated simply. At first Thomas was angry; Murphy didn't think that he was tough enough to stay here after seeing his reaction to Weasel being killed and he probably also saw the fight he had with Douglas. It took him a moment to realize that Murphy wasn't insulting him. The look in his eyes was more of hope and pride than disgust at his weakness. The corners of his mouth upturned slightly before he walked off, leaving Thomas to contemplate his words.  
  
Later that night in the ship Douglas, Vaiyer and Mec where in the lounge talking about Thomas. Douglas had finally had enough and said as much. "You are afraid," Mec stated, his analytical Vulcan side coming through.  
  
"I am afraid of nothing," Douglas said "Least of all that child."  
  
"I disagree," this from Vaiyer "What we had predicted has finally happened, though much sooner than I had expected. Thomas has surpassed you and now you don't have the hold on him that you once did. He will not fear you anymore now that he knows he can beat you."  
  
"He didn't beat me!" Douglas yelled.  
  
"If I had not come when I had, he could have killed you. In fact he had sufficient time to do so but it seems that he is not a killer at heart," Mec said.  
  
"Well I am and that boy is a loose canon. I won't have him on my ship." Douglas said.  
  
"What do you intend to do?" Mec inquired. Vaiyer, however, already knew the answer.  
  
"If I have to, I'll kill him." Silence quickly descended onto the room. Just outside the door Thomas continued walking down the hall.  
  
The early hours of the mourning found Thomas wandering the corridors of the ship. Sleep had evaded him that night and he chose to seek solace in the familiar corridors of the ship where he had grown up. His meandering course took him past what Douglas termed his office and he stopped. He had not expected anyone else to be awake but the loud voices he heard told him that he wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping. The door to the office was broken and had been for a long time. It never closed properly so there was a small opening where one could peak through to see what was going on inside the room.  
  
Inside were Douglas and Takara arguing loudly. He listened in on what was being said. He missed the beginning of the conversation so he wasn't sure exactly what they were arguing about but after only a few seconds of listening he understood.  
  
"Get rid of it!" Douglas yelled again.  
  
"I won't!" Takara yelled back. Thomas shifted hoping that he would be able to see more of what was going on. Currently he could only see their shadows on the wall.  
  
"I don't want another child on the ship!"  
  
"Then I'll leave! I won't give up my child!"  
  
"I'll make you!" Douglas screamed at her.  
  
"I'm leaving and Thomas is coming with me." Takara said leaving no room for argument. She had made her decision and there was nothing anybody could do to changer her mind.  
  
"Then you leave me no choice!" Douglas pulled out a phaser from his desk.  
  
Before he knew what was happening Thomas heard a phaser discharge and saw Takara's shadow move both her hand to her pelvic region. Douglas had shot her. "There goes the baby," Douglas' shadow aimed the weapon higher. Thomas scrambled to open the door but before he could input the code he heard the phaser discharge and half a moment later he heard the thud as Takara's corpse hit the floor. Thomas looked through the crack again. Only Douglas' shadow was still in the wall and all that he saw of Takara was her lifeless hand.  
  
Thomas was silent but wide eyes stared at the lifeless hand only a few meters away from him. He wanted to reach out and touch her but he knew that if Douglas saw him, he'd follow up on his death threat. Silently he walked away from the room and took the most direct course to his quarters. Once there he locked himself in. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. Too many emotions all tinged with fear invaded his mind and he couldn't take it. Stumbling over the wall panel he randomly pressed some buttons. Finally, the sound of an electric guitar came over the speakers followed after a few seconds by drums and sound effects. He turned up the music to the maximum setting and somewhere in the back of his mind he recognized the song as `Breathe' by Prodigy.  
  
He staggered to the far corner of the room and sat in the corner with his arms wrapped around his up drawn knees. He hoped the music was enough to drown out his own anguished cry and for the first time in a very long time he felt tears glide down his face. Shivers coursed through his body, as the heat in the room was not enough to take away the shock of what he had just seen. He gasped for breath and tried to slow his rapidly beating heart. Takara was gone. The last time he felt this alone was ten years ago.  
  
The same song repeated twice before Thomas got up and went to his closet. He pulled out all his bags and backpacks. He made a decision. He was leaving, he would move on. Frantically he packed his belongings into the bags. He downloaded all his reading material, music, vids and any useful information he thought he might need onto data chips and packed them as well. He recorded a message to Murphy and programmed it to be delivered to Murphy's database the next time a scan was conducted looking specifically for his lifesigns. He also wrote a short message to the rest of the crew.  
  
He looked through the information that was held on the computer about what they had found in Weasel's ship. Weasel had another shuttle in the ship's shuttle bay and Thomas had found his escape vehicle. He closed the file picked up his things and left. He would sneak past the sensors and past the rest of the crew and get to the shuttle. They had trained him very well. Before he left the ship Thomas went to the weapons locker and armed himself with a few guns, phasers, explosive devices and anything else he may need. He was ready to leave this life behind and find one of his own.  
  
The doors to the hangar were already open since they had been moving a lot of crates in and out so he didn't have to worry about the sound of the doors opening waking anybody. The small craft took off into the star-studded ink black sky. He vowed to himself that he would find his own life he didn't know what he would find would be his old life.  
  
End Part 2: High Tides  
  
zappyzaps@hotmail.com 


	4. Part 3: Old Lies

And This Is His Story 3  
  
By Zappy Zaps  
  
Author's Notes: Everything about the Enterprise is occurring four-five years early (use your imagination or else it won't make sense). (Tasha Yar is dead already).  
  
Once again, thanks to Brigid for beta-reading!  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Part 3: Old Lies  
  
Poisonous gases filled the shuttle as more conduits ruptured. Painful coughs racked his body as he tried to keep the warp core stable. He had been attacked several times in the past eight days and only a few minutes ago the core had finally given up, leaving Thomas stranded in the shuttle, floating just inside the border of federation space. He had to get the core back on line before somebody came to investigate but, due to the gases and his injuries, that was proving to be more difficult than he had anticipated.  
  
A proximity alarm went off and he looked at the sensors. A massive vessel was approaching his position. He raised shields and hoped that they would pass by. Upon closer inspection he was able to identify the ship as a Starfleet vessel. //Damn it// he thought to himself. He had to get out of here but with only thrusters, no weapons and minimal shielding he had little chance of doing so.  
  
"Life signs?" Captain Picard asked.  
  
"One, human, adolescent male," Data reported from his station.  
  
"Try hailing again," Riker, the first officer, ordered.  
  
"Receiving a response, audio only," Data said. He tapped a few buttons and the audio signal was routed to the bridge.  
  
"Who are you and what do you want?" the voice asked.  
  
"I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise. We came to offer our help. Your ship has been badly damaged," Picard said.  
  
"Thanks, but I have everything under control,"  
  
"How old are you?" Picard asked seemingly out of nowhere. There was no response for a short time.  
  
"Why does it matter?" the young male voice asked as a massive explosion on the shuttle.  
  
"The hull has breached, shields are down," Lt. Worf said.  
  
"Beam him aboard and send security officers to the transporter room," Picard ordered.  
  
Thomas materialised on the transporter pad. He looked around and guessed that he was on the Starfleet ship, Enterprise. The only person in the room at the moment was the transporter chief. Thomas pulled out one of his phasers and aimed it at the man behind the controls. "Beam me back to my ship," Thomas ordered.  
  
"I can't and your phaser has been rendered useless by the transporters," the man said with an accent that Thomas recognized as Irish. Thomas pressed the button on the phaser and nothing happened. He dropped it and pulled out on of his projectile weapons.  
  
"This I can assure you works fine," he fired one shot into the wall behind the Irish man who flinched at the loud sound. "Now beam me back to my shuttle!"  
  
"I can't do that!" Suddenly the doors to the transporter room opened and two men in black and gold uniforms walked in. They immediately aimed their phasers at the boy. Thomas put away his weapon and put his hands up, he wanted them to think that he was giving up.  
  
Worf and another security officer were in the corridor just outside the transporter room. As they were about to enter the doors opened and Thomas ran out and nearly into the security chief. "Shit," he said quietly to himself when he saw the big Klingon. Thomas tried to get away but the Klingon grabbed him and pressed him against the wall. Thomas struggled and after a few moments he managed to free himself of the Klingon's grip but just as he went to attack Worf the other security officer shot him and he slumped to the ground.  
  
Worf checked Thomas to make sure that he was just unconscious before he went into the transporter room. One of his two security officers was unconscious on the floor while the other one was trying to stand with Transport Chief O'Brien's help. Worf looked at what the teenager had done in the short time he had been on the ship.  
  
"Do you have him?" O'Brien asked and Worf nodded the affirmative. "I suggest that you disarm him," O'Brien continued and looked at the hole in the wall where the bullet had imbedded itself.  
  
In Sickbay Dr. Beverly Crusher worked over her young patient while one of the other doctors fixed the injuries of the security officers. There were four armed security guards posted in Sickbay to make sure the nothing like what happened in the transporter room happened here as well; Worf's suggestion. The doors to Sickbay opened and Captain Picard walked in.  
  
"How's our guest?" Picard asked looking at the adolescent on the biobed. His blonde hair was in disarray and he wore a black headband.  
  
"He'll be fine. The phaser burn was the least of his worries. He had other serious burns and was suffering from smoke inhalation," the Doctor told him. "Is it really necessary to have security guards in here?" Crusher asked in annoyance. They were just getting in her way.  
  
"After what happened in the transporter room," he left the rest of his statement unfinished. "I can't help but wonder why he was alone out here. There aren't any colonies for light years,"  
  
"I can't tell you but it looks like he's waking. Maybe he can answer your questions," Crusher said as she put away one of her instrument on a nearby tray.  
  
Slowly awareness returned to him and blue eyes fluttered open. As his eyes focussed on the two figures above him he remembered everything and instantly he reacted. He did a backwards somersault bringing his feet and legs over his head where there biobed ended and he landed, standing on the floor. The security guards immediately aimed their weapons at him.  
  
Thomas searched his clothing for one of his weapons but found they were all missing. "We aren't going to harm you," the woman in the blue coat assured him.  
  
"Why did you take me from my ship?" Thomas demanded.  
  
"The hull had breached. You were in danger. Let us help you," Picard said calmly. After a few seconds of contemplation Thomas straightened out of his attack stance and walked back to the biobed.  
  
"Where's the shuttle?" Thomas asked as he sat on the biobed.  
  
"In our shuttle bay," Picard told him. He didn't tell the boy that he had his chief engineer looking through it. "What is your name?"  
  
"Thomas,"  
  
"Do you have a last name?" Picard asked. Thomas was caught off guard by the question. Nobody had ever asked for his last name before and he had to think hard for what the answer was. "You do have a last name don't you?"  
  
"Paris," he said quietly to himself, trying to see it the name fit. "Paris," he said louder so that Picard could here him.  
  
"Thomas Paris?" Picard said in disbelief. The son of Admiral Paris? He looked closely at the boy on the biobed. Thomas noticed Picard's scrutiny and glared at the older man.  
  
"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Thomas said. Picard didn't say anything, only turned to Crusher and whispered something to her before he left. Crusher went back to healing Thomas' injuries. It went slowly since every time she brought an instrument near him he wouldn't allow her to use it until she told him what it did. When she had finished she told him to lie down and get some rest. After regarding the woman for a moment he complied and lay down.  
  
Thirty minutes later Lt. Worf arrived in Sickbay to escort Thomas to the briefing room. Captain Picard wanted to have a talk with him about what they had found in his shuttle. Upon arriving Thomas was introduced to three more officers: Commander Willian Riker, Lt Geordi La Forge and Lt. Data. Picard then gestured to the pile of object that where laid out on the table.  
  
"Would mind telling us what these are and why you were on a stolen Terrillean shuttle?"  
  
Thomas sighed and looked at the weapons, explosives and the other devices on the table. "Plastic explosives, grenades, semi-automatic guns, phaser type LSII, switchblade, butterfly knife, code-breaker, thoron particle generator and a couple of scanning devices," Thomas listed what they all were.  
  
"What about the shuttle?" Riker asked.  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"It's stolen," Riker told him.  
  
"I didn't steal it from any Terrillean. I took it from whoever stole it first," Thomas shrugged.  
  
"Two wrongs, don't make a right." Riker told him.  
  
"Since when," Thomas challenged. The officers looked at each other. Picard turned the desk console that was on the table of the briefing room and pressed a button. The black screen changed to show some video surveillance footage. Thomas recognized the interior and slouched in his seat. He was in more trouble now.  
  
On the screen two figures clad in dark clothing passed through the range of the camera. The third person stopped, turned to the camera and aimed the phaser at it. The footage paused and zoomed in to show a clear picture of the person's face.  
  
"Is that you?" Picard asked.  
  
"Where did you get this?" Thomas asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.  
  
"The system where this was taken, recently joined the Federation so we have the access to this information," Picard told him. "How long were you in that shuttle before we came?"  
  
"Eight days," Thomas said looking at the top of the table.  
  
"We've identified weapons burns on the hull of the shuttle," Geordi said, "Who was shooting at you?"  
  
"I don't know, probably some of Weasel's enemies who recognized the shuttle as his," Thomas said shrugging. The officer assumed that `Wease'l was the person that the boy had stolen the shuttle from . "So what happens to me now? Prison?" Thomas said with resignation.  
  
"We don't send children to prison," Picard told him. Thomas mumbled something but the others didn't hear him as Worf escorted the boy out of the room.  
  
A few minutes later the Senior officers of the Enterprise were meeting in the Conference room. They were discussing their new guest and the mystery surrounding him. "His DNA matches what's in the database. He is Thomas Paris," Crusher informed them.  
  
"Any relation to Admiral Paris?" Geordi asked.  
  
"His son," Picard said, "who was abducted ten years ago."  
  
"How did he get here and where has he been?" Riker asked. Only Thomas could answer their questions.  
  
Counsellor Deanna Troi entered the brig where Thomas was being held. She nodded to the security officer and approached Thomas' cell. He was lying face down on the small cot. "Thomas," she called his name but didn't receive a response. She asked the security officer to lower the force-field and after a moment he complied. Two security officers took positions at the entrance to the cell just in case anything should happen. Troi stepped in and Thomas raised his head to see who was entering. The woman had long dark brown curls that went past her shoulders and dark eyes. She was a betazoid.  
  
"Who are you?" Thomas asked quietly.  
  
"I'm Deanna Troi, the ship's counsellor," she told him as she approached. Thomas quickly sat up when he saw she was coming closer to him. "I won't hurt you. I just want to help,"  
  
"I don't want your help," He said stubbornly. Troi sat down at the other end of the cot so that she didn't infringe on his personal space.  
  
"Where were you going on that shuttle?"  
  
"They sent you to get some answers from me," Thomas stated more to himself than to her but he told her about the colony that he wanted to go to.  
  
"Why not go back home to your family?" Deanna asked.  
  
"What family?"  
  
"The one that you have on Earth," she said and she wasn't expecting the indignant snort that accompanied her question.  
  
"They didn't want me before, I doubt they'll want me now," he said looking down. Troi was understandably surprised. His family very much wanted him back. Owen Paris had nearly resigned his commission to go and search for his missing son but friends and colleagues convinced him that if Starfleet couldn't find his son then one person would not have much of a chance either. The main reason that Owen had not left earth to search for his son was that the rest of his family needed him and he couldn't leave them.  
  
Troi asked him to explain what he meant so he told her what Douglas had told him. Troi was appalled by the lies that he had been told. She decided to set the record straight and told Thomas what really happened. "Thomas, your family has always loved you,"  
  
"No," Thomas protested, "they told me-"  
  
"They lied to you," she reasoned with him. "When your father was contacted with the ransom demand there was a disturbance and they never finished the negotiation. Despite all search efforts they couldn't find you," she explained quickly to keep him from interrupting. He needed to hear this. She had read his file before she had come, to familiarize herself with the Thomas' history. What she said now in explaining the events surrounding his kidnapping would prove to be essential in gaining his trust.  
  
Various thoughts and emotions and ran through his mind, each contradictory to the one before. One thing, which he was totally sure of, was somebody was lying and now he had to figure out who. "These people you've been living with have been lying to you all this time, about everything," Troi ended softly.  
  
Thomas was shaking his head constantly by the time Troi had finished telling him the truth. They had lied to him? Why did it surprise him so much? Douglas was a killer being a liar shouldn't have shocked him.  
  
"Thomas," Troi put a hand on his shoulder but he flinched away from her touch and stood up. The quick motion caused the guards to raise their weapons.  
  
Thomas ignored them and leaned against the adjacent wall. This couldn't be happening. //She's lying,// he tried to convince himself.  
  
"Thomas-"  
  
"Please, go away," he said softly and after a moment she left his cell promising that she would come back. The force-field flickered back to life and he was alone in the cell again. He sat down on the floor leaning against the wall, wishing that for once things could be simpler.  
  
Troi talked to Picard and told him, without divulging too much information, what she pieced together about Thomas' past. After he had been abducted he grew up with his kidnappers who told him his family didn't want him. Troi also asked that Thomas be given some quarters instead of the brig. Picard agreed and realized that he was now left with the responsibility of contacting Starfleet command and telling them about Thomas Paris.  
  
At Starfleet Headquarters Admiral Nimembeh pressed the announcer on the door to Admiral Paris' office and waited for the response. The familiar voice called for the person to enter. Owen Paris was hard at work as always. He looked up to see who had entered.  
  
"Mohan, what brings you here?" Owen asked his friend pleasantly as he stood to greet him.  
  
"I have some news for you. Sit down." Owen complied and waited for Nimembeh to continue.  
  
"It's about your son," Owen glanced at the picture of his five year old son that sat on his desk "They found him," Owen looked up at Nimembeh, shock written clearly in his features. He had hoped everyday that his son would be found but he had been hoping so long that it seemed more like a dream than something that would actually ever come true.  
  
"W-where is he?" Owen stuttered.  
  
"On the Enterprise. They're coming back to earth," Owen looked down and stared at the picture of his son. Blue eyes dancing merrily as he smiled for the imager. They found him, after ten long years, they finally found him.  
  
Thomas looked around the quarters he would be staying in. Troi and Worf were in there with him. Worf had one of his bags. Geordi had gone through it to make sure there was nothing that could be used as a weapon inside. Thomas walked into the washroom to look around.  
  
"So I'm stuck here now," he said as he came out.  
  
"Would you prefer the brig?" Worf asked.  
  
"I'd prefer my ship so I can leave here," Thomas said as he glared at Worf for a few seconds before looking out the window where the elongated stars gave evidence that the ship was at warp. "Where are we going and how long till we reach it?" Thomas asked with his back to them.  
  
"Ten days until we reach earth," Troi said. Thomas stayed silent so Worf used the time to outline what he could and could not do. He could use the replicators and any other facility in the room but there were restrictions on what he could replicate. He could not, however, leave the room unescorted or without permission and he could not access some parts of the ship's database from the terminal in the room. He would have to attend daily sessions with Counsellor Troi and would make the occasional visit to Sickbay to see Dr. Crusher.  
  
Over the next few days Counsellor Troi got to know Thomas. She got him to talk about what had happened to him since his abduction and had given permission for her to write some of what he said in his file. There were still several issues that she had to address. The most pressing was why he had decided to leave the people he had been staying with. When she asked all he said was: "I saw too much killing in one day." He wouldn't go into details and he didn't use any names but whatever he saw was affecting him seriously. He was having trouble sleeping, only managing to get a few short hours of uninterrupted sleep per night but he wasn't willing to take anything that Dr. Crusher prescribed.  
  
Thomas shifted on the biobed in Sickbay. The bed was uncomfortable and he wanted to leave. The good doctor however needed to update his file so he would be spending some time in here in order for her to conduct all her scans and what not. Thomas stilled and listened to the voices of Troi and Crusher. They were in the doctor's office and he could not hear all of what they were saying but every now and then he would hear his name. "Write a book why don't you!" Thomas yelled letting them know he could hear them.  
  
In her office Dr. Crusher paused before smiling slightly. Typical teenager, she should know, she had one of her own. "I'm nearly done here," Crusher said to Troi. "How are the counselling sessions going?" she asked but knew that Deanna wouldn't be able to give any specific details.  
  
"Alright," she said more quietly "He's been fed a lot of lies. I don't think he knows what to believe."  
  
"It's a shame. Taken from his parents at such a young age," Crusher said as she imagined what it would have been like for her if her son, Wesley, had been taken from her. She concluded one report and she and Troi walked back into the main part of sickbay. "I need you to take off the headband for the next scan," Crusher told him.  
  
"Fine," Thomas removed the headband.  
  
"What happened here?" Crusher asked moving a few strands of hair from his forehead to look at the scar on the right side.  
  
"Nothing," Thomas said quickly and stared at the ceiling. Dr. Crusher decided not to ask any more and conducted the scan. A few minutes later she was done and Thomas was free to go back to his quarters. She watched him go feeling sorry for Thomas and wondering what he must have gone through.  
  
Later that day Beverly Crusher walked into the joint quarters that she shared with her son and saw him sitting on the couch and reading. "Hi Mom," he said glancing up briefly when she entered and she smiled. Walking over to him, she kissed him on the forehead. "Mom?" Wesley asked wondering if something was wrong. She just smiled softly at him.  
  
In his quarters Thomas was looking through some pictures that Counsellor Troi had given him; they were of his family, his mother, his father and his two sisters. They were mostly file photos but they brought back some memories from when he was still with them. His sisters he didn't really recognize but his parents looked familiar. He couldn't remember, clearly what they looked like but he was sure that the people in the pictures were his parents or maybe he just wanted to believe what Troi had said so much that it was clouding his judgment. He put them down and ran his hand through his hair. Three more days and they'd be back on earth.  
  
The chime to his door rang but he ignored it. A few seconds later the doors slid open and Lt. Worf and Lt. Data walked in. Thomas looked at them. "What?" he asked in annoyance.  
  
"You have been allowed time to use the holodeck for recreation," Data said. Thomas perked up at this.  
  
"I can use one of my own programs?"  
  
"Yes, but I am to review it to make sure that it is suitable," Data told him and Thomas raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Whatever," he got up from the couch and walked to where his bag was. After searching for a minute he pulled out two data chips. "Okay," He gave them to Data and the three left the room flanked by two security officers.  
  
Upon arriving at the holodeck Data downloaded the information in the chips to the computer and, after reviewing them, he ran the first program. Thomas walked in and noticed Worf and Data entering with him. He rolled his eyes and continued in.  
  
"What is this place?" Worf asked as he and Data looked around the room that looked to be a gym of some sort. Thomas smiled.  
  
"It's a practice area," he walked to the beam and hopped on.  
  
"I should inform you that this program has no safety protocols in place," Data said to Thomas.  
  
"Safety protocols?" Thomas asked before he did a back flip on the narrow bar.  
  
"Do not do that," Worf ordered.  
  
"Why not?" Thomas did a back hand spring on the bar.  
  
"You will hurt yourself," Worf replied.  
  
Thomas snorted."Fat chance," He jumped off the beam. "Why don't you wait outside," he suggested.  
  
"Our orders are-" Data began.  
  
"Never mind," Thomas raised his hands he didn't care what their orders where. A simple `no' would have been enough. Thomas walked off. He didn't care what they said. For once he could do whatever he wanted in the holodeck and they weren't about to stop him.  
  
Two days later in his quarters Thomas was trying to do some reading but found he could not concentrate long enough to read more than a few lines. He couldn't stop thinking about Takara. He put the padd down and walked to his bed where he flopped face down into the pillow. He could feel his eyes begin to sting with tears, which he fought back. If he had been faster he could have saved her, he kept thinking to himself. His grief was mixed with anger at Douglas. He wished now that he'd had the courage to kill Douglas but he didn't and now Takara was dead because of his cowardice.  
  
The chime to his door rang and he wondered who was visiting. Troi had already been by today. He called for the person to enter and Captain Picard walked in. Thomas sat at the side of his bed.  
  
"We'll be arriving at earth in a few hours," Picard stated. He stood a few meters in front of the door. Thomas nodded and didn't look at the Captain. "When we arrive you'll be taken into custody by Starfleet Security officers but I'm sure that you'll be acquitted of any crimes since you are a minor," Thomas nodded again and Picard was about to leave when Thomas called him.  
  
"Sir," Picard looked to the boy who was still looking at the floor "Do you...do you know my parents?" He finally looked up and for once he looked more like the child that he was and not the adult he had been forced to be.  
  
"I've met your father," Picard stated. Thomas wanted to know more but he couldn't formulate the proper words so he stayed silent. "Your parents are good people. They never gave up on you," Picard told him.  
  
"Thank you Sir, for everything," Thomas said. Picard smiled slightly before leaving his quarters.  
  
The Enterprise arrived at Earth at 1415 and immediately contacted HQ to tell them they had arrived. Thomas was being beamed down escorted by Picard, Worf and another security officer. Upon arrival Thomas was indeed taken into custody by some security officers and placed in a cell after meeting with an Admiral.  
  
"Why is he in custody?" Emily asked Owen. She wanted to know why her son was being held in a cell at Starfleet Headquarters. Owen had just finished reading the report and now had to explain it to his wife.  
  
"He's been living and working with the same people that kidnapped him," Owen told her in some confusion. They had only received a preliminary report and were going to meet with Counsellor Troi so that she could inform them of what happened.  
  
The meeting went well. The Paris' asked a lot of questions but were generally understanding, especially after hearing the lies that Thomas had been fed for the past ten years. Moira and Kathleen had been informed that their brother was back but had not been at the meeting. They also didn't inform the press. They wanted to keep this quiet for the time being, though it was inevitable that sooner or later they would find out but the Paris' where hoping for later. The hearing was tomorrow morning and Thomas would be acquitted of his crimes. Tomorrow was also the day Owen and Emily would be meeting with Thomas for the first time in ten years. Moira and Kathleen would see him a few days later when Thomas went home with his parents. Counsellor Troi had informed them that it would be best if Thomas got to know them again before going to his old home and they had agreed.  
  
Thomas was found not guilty of his crimes since he was a juvenile but was placed on monitored probation, meaning that for the next four months he would have to wear a wrist band which allowed the authorities to check his position whenever they wanted. There was some concern as to whether they could trust Thomas. He had been reluctant to give out any information about his kidnappers and they didn't understand why.  
  
After the hearing, which Owen and Emily attended, it was time for them to meet their long lost son. In one of the lounges in the building Owen and Emily waited for Thomas to arrive; they didn't have to wait long. A pair of doors lid open and Thomas stepped into the room with Deanna at his side to provide support. He stood just a few meters within the room letting the doors slide closed behind him and, he noted, closing off his way out.  
  
Nervously he moved a few steps closer to his parents. They looked like the images he had seen but seeing them in person brought back memories from many years ago. Only a few meters separated Thomas and his parents and Troi wondered who would take the first step. Emily who was studying Thomas' every feature stepped away form her husband and toward Thomas who was looking at her just as closely as she did him but he was feeling more apprehension than she.  
  
"Tommy," Emily breathed and a tear fell to her cheek. Emily reached up and touched Thomas cheek.  
  
"Mom," Thomas said softly. Owen finally approached and Thomas looked to his father who was shorter than he remembered. "Dad," Thomas looked between the two for a few seconds before a gentle smile crossed his features. Emily didn't hold back and finally wrapped her arms around her son and cried. Owen hugged Thomas as well and after a moment of surprise Thomas closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of having a family again.  
  
Owen looked behind Thomas to where Deanna Troi still stood and mouthed: "Thank you," to her. She smiled and after glancing once more at the re-untied family she left the room so they could have a private reunion.  
  
End Part 3: Old Lies  
  
Comments/constructive criticism to [1]zappyzaps@hotmail.com  
  
The Part 4 won't be posted for a little while. I'm busy with university stuff, but soon it will up. -ZZ  
  
References  
  
1. mailto:zappyzaps@hotmail.com 


	5. Part 4: Where the Heart Is

1 And This Is His Story 4  
  
By Zappy Zaps  
  
Thanks to Brigid for beta-reading this and all the other parts! (  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
1.1  
  
Part 4: Where the Heart Is  
  
For the first time in over ten years he walked in to his old home. Removing the bag that was slung around his chest he walked to the living room and peered inside. He remembered this place but there were subtle differences proving to him that things had changed. He looked at the main entrance of the house where his parents were entering. His father was carrying his other bag and regarding Thomas' snowboard curiously. He had changed, his parents had changed, everything he had been taken away from a decade ago had changed, but he was determined to make the best of his new life and with the help of his family he would attain this goal. Smiling at his parents he continued his exploration of the first floor of the house.  
  
Thomas was more comfortable around them now. He had stayed in guest quarters at Starfleet HQ for the past four days and everyday his parents had been there everyday getting to know him again and vice versa. His initial apprehension about being with his parents had dissipated and he was comfortable calling them 'mom' and 'dad'. Although there was still a touch of awkwardness when he was with them they all hoped it would fade with time.  
  
Owen and Emily showed Thomas to his room. Little had changed. They had added a desk to the room but almost all his toys from when he was five were still in the room. He walked to the window and gazed at the landscape outside. Thomas, absently traced the band the security officer had placed on his wrist before he left the Starfleet building. It monitored his position at all times so they could keep a watchful eye in Thomas.  
  
"Your sisters are coming over later today," Emily said as she walked over to Thomas. She had to look up to see into his eyes, which she found slightly odd. The last time she had seen him, she could carry him but now he was taller than she. Every time she looked at him it caused a pang in her heart, knowing that she had missed so many years of her child's life. She chose not to dwell on the lost time she had missed and rather focussed on the rare second chance she and her husband had been given.  
  
A few hours later Moira and Kathleen arrived at the house. Kathleen was in her second year of university in L.A. while Moira was studying in Europe to be a civil engineer. They had arrived at the house and were greeted by their parents. Thomas hung back not wanting to intrude. He couldn't help the feeling of isolation that washed over him. After he had been abducted the four of them had been a family and through shared pain they had become closer to one another, so where did Thomas fit in with them now?  
  
"Tommy," his father called him and he approached his family who congregated at the entrance. They all still called him 'Tommy' but Thomas didn't mind. In fact, he kind of liked it. It reminded him of a time when he was secure and was sure of his place in the universe. "Moira and Kathleen," Owen introduced Thomas to his sisters. They were smiling and feeling both apprehensive and excited.  
  
"Hi," he said quietly and studied them. They had grown up but he could still see hints of the little girls that he had known so long ago. He smiled and Moira, who was still the leader of the Paris children, approached and hugged her brother. Kathleen took her turn hugging Thomas and noted the changes in his appearance from when they had last seen him.  
  
They spent the evening and night as a family getting reacquainted. Moira and Kathleen told stories of what happened at their respective places of study. Thomas was quiet most of the time and the others noticed it. Tommy had always been an out going and vibrant child but Thomas was more subdued.  
  
Thomas was content just to listen to what the others said. He had little to add or comment on since he wasn't even sure he fully understood many of the things they spoke of. Surrounded by family but still isolated and lost was how he was feeling. When he was with Takara and Murphy he wasn't totally at ease but at least he knew them. He knew what to expect from them, how to act and relate to them but around his family things where different.  
  
A comment that Kathleen made stirred Thomas' memory. "Wait a minute," he said and Kathleen stopped talking and they listened eagerly. "You're going to be a marine biologist?" he asked and Kathleen nodded. "You don't even like frogs," he said and at the confused expression on their faces he explained, "I found a frog one time and I showed it to you and you screamed," Thomas laughed at the memory. The rest of them remembered the picnic with friends and family members where Tommy had found a pond and caught a frog.  
  
"You didn't show it to me! You put it on my head!" she said in outrage and the others laughed. For a brief time that night they laughed together and cherished what had been returned to them.  
  
Nights were the worst and that night was no exception. Thomas had gone to bed and tried to sleep but he had been plagued with night terrors since the night Takara had been killed. It was always the same dream. He could see the shadows of Douglas and Takara. Douglas raised the weapon and prepared to fire. Everything was in slow motion and he could hear Takara's voice softly calling him to help her but he couldn't find her. Every direction he ran he came to a wall. He couldn't find them or any light source but the shadows had to come from somewhere so he kept searching. Takara's pleas became softer and he yelled for her to keep talking to him. He wanted to follow the sound to where she was but the echoes made it impossible to do so.  
  
Her voice faded away and only his foot steps and shouts for Takara echoed off the invisible walls. The silhouettes faded and the shadows engulfed him for a few seconds until a woman's scream pierced the darkness and a red beam of energy briefly illuminated the area just long enough for him to watch her body slump to the ground. He ran to her and cradled her in his arms. "Why didn't you help me?" she whispered.  
  
"I tried, I tried. I'm so sorry," and he rambled on, telling her how sorry he was.  
  
"I needed you…" she choked out as another weak breath left her. Her eyes closed and her body began to fade away.  
  
"Takara!" he yelled. "I'm sorry!"  
  
"I needed you…" her voice surrounded him and shook him to the quick.  
  
"Takara!" he bolted upright in his bed, breathing heavily. His room was dark and he reached for the light on his nightstand. His fingers fumbled to turn it on but another hand brushed against his and turned on the light.  
  
"Tommy?" it was his father.  
  
"Dad!" Thomas was startled. It looks like both the Paris men were having trouble sleeping.  
  
"Are you alright?" Owen asked as he crouched next to his son's bed. Thomas nodded, not trusting his voice.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Thomas asked after he had calmed a little.  
  
"I had trouble sleeping," Owen said and was silent for a few moments before he asked: "Who's Takara?"  
  
"She was….a friend," Thomas said looking down. He told his father a little more about Takara. He needed to tell someone about what had happened and his father was at the right place in the right time. He told him about how Takara had been there for him since the time he arrived with his kidnappers and lastly he told him how she died, careful not use any names other than Takara's.  
  
"And that's why you left," Owen said, hoping that he understood.  
  
"I tired to help her, I really did but… I …I couldn't get to her and," Thomas started. He wanted his father to understand he had tried.  
  
"Tommy, it's okay," Owen said and sat on the side of Thomas' bed. "I know you tried," Thomas stopped rambling and tried to control his emotions. "It's alright," Owen cautiously wrapped his arms around his son not sure whether the gesture would be welcomed or not, but was pleased when Thomas relaxed. "It'll be okay,"  
  
The next few days went by quickly. Moira and Kathleen were staying at home for a while so the house was full and several extended family members visited to see Thomas. Thomas was also seeing a psychiatrist at Counsellor Troi's suggestion, meeting with some security officers from Starfleet every few days, and he had to undergo testing so that he could start at a new school. The days were filled with meetings while the evenings where spent with guests.  
  
Everyone was glad when things settled down and no one more than Thomas. He had enough to do trying to fit in again with his family, more people was just added stress. He wanted to get to know his sisters again but having so many people around he never got a chance to and it wasn't long before they had to leave. Thomas said good-bye and hoped he would get to see them again soon. They hadn't been able to connect on many levels but it would only be a matter of time before they were as close as they once were, hopefully.  
  
A few days later Thomas was taking the tour of the new school he would be attending in San Francisco while his parents met with the Advisor and principal and discussed his test scores and what grade they suggested for Thomas. His tour guide was one of the senior students, Isaac Henderson. Isaac showed Thomas the gymnasium, track field, labs, a few classrooms and the other 'highlights'. It was a pretty regular school but the only school Thomas had ever been to was his kindergarten and he could remember very little of it.  
  
When the tour ended he said goodbye to Isaac and joined his parents. Thomas was informed he would be going into the senior year of high school. According to the academic advisor, Thomas didn't even need to be going to high school. Partial differential equations were beyond the scope of the high school curriculum but was the level Thomas had already reached. He was learning about warp theory and quantum mechanics when other students his age hadn't yet touched on those subjects. He could probably write the entrance exam to Starfleet Academy or other post secondary institutes and get in but his parents were adamant that he would go goes to high school.  
  
  
  
"Tommy, are you ready?" Emily called to her son from the kitchen where she was having her morning cup of coffee before she went to work. Thomas came down the stairs and replicated some toast and juice. He finished quickly and was ready to go.  
  
"Bye Dad!" Thomas yelled down the corridor to the office where he knew his father was. He picked up his bag and waited for his mother to finish her coffee.  
  
"Tommy, hold on a second," Owen said coming from his office. He carried a small package in his hand. "We got this for you," Owen said and handed Thomas the package. He examined it for a few seconds and shook it and listened to the sound.  
  
"Open it already," Emily laughed. He had done the same thing when he was five any time he received a gift.  
  
Thomas opened it and inside was a wristwatch. Smiling he put it on. It fit right over the wristband, which monitored his position. Owen and Emily had noticed that every so often he would absently trace it. The wristband would only cause other students to ask unwanted questions. They had also noticed Thomas had an interest in the twentieth century and they had gotten him a watch that resembled those from that era. "Thanks," Thomas said and he and Emily left the house.  
  
The story of Thomas Eugene Paris was mentioned on the news for a few days after he left Starfleet Headquarters and went home with his parents. Little information had been given to the media so there was much speculation as to what had happened to Thomas in the past ten years of his life.  
  
On his third day at the school he walked through the halls heading to his locker, ignoring the curious glances following him as he passed. A group of guys a little older than Thomas took notice of him and, after talking amongst themselves for a few moments, walked over to where Thomas was placing a few things in his locker.  
  
"Thomas Paris?" the one who appeared to be their leader said.  
  
"Who wants to know?" Thomas did not take his eyes off the minimal contents of his locker.  
  
"Jeremy Dumas. My friends here thought that we should introduce ourselves." Jeremy was a few inches taller than Thomas as were his friends.  
  
"No need to. Your reputation precedes you," Thomas closed his locker and turned to face Jeremy and his cronies. They were in their senior year as well and Thomas shared a few classes with them but he knew of them mostly from what he overheard some other students saying in the cafeteria or during the break. They were generally popular but also troublemakers and in this school they made the rules. "I have a class to go to," Thomas said and went to walk past Jeremy but Jeremy stepped to the side and blocked his path.  
  
"We haven't excused you yet," Jeremy said arrogantly.  
  
"Look Dumb-ass, I have better things to do than waste my time with you and your pals," Thomas glared at him and was ready to force his way past but a hand on his shoulder and a familiar voice stopped him.  
  
"Tom! I've been looking for you!" Thomas turned his head slightly to Isaac who was trying to stop a fight from breaking out between Paris and Dumas. "We've got physics now," Isaac needlessly reminded. He looked to Jeremy who looked like he was ready for a fight. "If you'll excuse us gentlemen." Pulling on Thomas' shoulder he got his friend to come with him and the brawl was averted. Isaac kept looking over his shoulder to make sure none of Jeremy's friends were following. Luckily for them, they were not being followed. "Tom, jeez!" Isaac let out the breath that he had been holding. "What the hell did you think you were doing?"  
  
"I had a class to get to. I didn't have time for his games," Thomas said flatly.  
  
"Just be careful. They won't let that incident slide," Isaac looked over his shoulder again just to check.  
  
"You're being paranoid. They're harmless," Thomas said. They walked in silence until they reached their destination but before they walked into the classroom Thomas asked a question.  
  
"Since when did my name become 'Tom'?"  
  
"You don't like 'Tom'?" Isaac responded to Thomas' inquiry.  
  
"I've never been called Tom before," Thomas stated.  
  
"Well get used to it," Isaac smirked and walked into class followed closely by the newly minted 'Tom'.  
  
A few weeks later Kathleen's university was on break and she decided to go home, see her parents and hopefully get to know her little brother. When she arrived, however, relations in the household where not what she had expected them to be. She had walked into her house with a smile on her face and greeted her mother warmly. She noticed her mother's expression of happiness was brief and when Kathleen heard the yelling in the other room, her smile faded as well. There was no mistaking the voices of Tom and Owen as they had another argument. Kathleen approached the room where the voices were coming from but her mother stopped her before she could reach them and shook her head.  
  
A few moments later the yelling stopped and Thomas stormed upstairs to his room per Owen's orders. He had glanced briefly at Emily and Kathleen as he went upstairs but had not greeted them in any way. The look in his eyes was one of hate and Kathleen could not understand why it was directed at them.  
  
"I just don't understand him," Owen said tiredly as he collapsed into a chair.  
  
"What happened?" Kathleen asked. She sat next to her mother who had already seated herself on one of the couches.  
  
"I don't know," Owen sighed. "Lately….lately he's been difficult: challenging everything we say, breaking rules, staying out late,"  
  
"We just can't connect with him; make him understand that what we're doing is for his own good," Emily said. The assembled group lapsed into silence, each lost in his or her own thoughts.  
  
Kathleen regarded her parents and quelled the anger and disappointment threatening to overcome her. Why was he doing this to them? Why does he want to hurt them? Kathleen stood up and abruptly left the room and headed for Tom's.  
  
She didn't knock on the door intending to barge her way in but it was locked. She knocked and waited for a response but didn't get one right away. "Tommy, open the door!" Kathleen yelled. She pounded on the door for a few more seconds and without warning it swung open. Tom caught the hand the she was using to hit the door before it could hit him in the face.  
  
"What?" Tom asked, irritation colouring his voice.  
  
Kathleen pulled her hand from his grip. "What do you think you're doing?"  
  
"You're going to have to clarify what you mean," Tom turned his back to her. Kathleen was angry and she put her hand on his shoulder and spun him around. "Don't touch me!" Tom moved away from her. His hands clenched and unclenched.  
  
"Do you know what you're doing to them?" she asked. "They're worried about you and you act like you don't care!"  
  
"You don't know…." Tom started but couldn't finish. "You'd never understand."  
  
"Try me!" she retorted. Tom took a moment to organize his thoughts. What he was going to say was going to sound horrible but he wanted her to understand.  
  
"I hated them….I hated you!" he said.  
  
"Why?" Kathleen's brows furrowed.  
  
"Because you didn't want me! You weren't the family that everybody else had. You weren't the family I wanted. You lied to me!" Thomas' explanation started to go awry as his emotions clouded his thoughts.  
  
"We didn't lie to you," Kathleen said immediately.  
  
"Maybe, but I didn't know that,"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Kathleen was completely confused and Tom came to the realization she had not been told of what happened to him.  
  
"For the past ten years I've been living with the same people who abducted me. They told me you didn't want me, my parents didn't want me-"  
  
"And you believed them?" Kathleen asked in astonishment.  
  
"Yes….I did," he noted the scepticism on her gace. "If you hear something enough, you begin to believe it, and it's hard to stop,"  
  
"But you know that's not true. They love you," she told him but he didn't respond. He turned away from her and put his hands on the windowsill. "But you don't love them," she spoke her new found insight.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe one day I'll know for sure," he said quietly but loud enough for her to hear.  
  
"Well it better be soon! They can't take much more of this!" Kathleen raged.  
  
"Neither can I!" Tom said but did not face her.  
  
"I'm beginning to think we were better of without you," Kathleen said in quiet anger but regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She wanted to take them back but Tom spoke before she could.  
  
"I'm beginning to think that same thing," he looked back at her.  
  
"Tommy," she started to apologize. Tom ignored her, opened the window and began to climb out. "What are you doing?" He didn't say anything. "We're on the second floor!" she started towards him. He crouched on the ledge and lined up his jump to the tree branch a few meters away. "Tommy!" she reached out to grab him but he jumped and she couldn't make it to him in time. She watched helplessly as he dangled from the branch and hoped he didn't fall. He swung his legs up to the branch and began climbing down. "Tommy, be careful! Where are you going?" Kathleen asked.  
  
"I don't know," he said as he jumped the last few meters to the ground and walked away without a look back. Kathleen watched until she lost him in the night. She had considered going after him but she would have to go out the front door and her parents would want to know where she was going. She wasn't about to tell them their son had run away because of what she had said so instead she chose to wait. She would tell her parents Tommy was in his room and didn't want to be disturbed and she would wait for him to come home, if he came home.  
  
Three hours later the front door silently swung open and in the darkness Tom crept back in. He headed towards the stairs to go back to his room but a slight movement in the living room caught his attention. He stopped and turned on the lights. On the couch sat Kathleen holding a picture in her hands. She looked up and Tom noticed the tears stains and red eyes. Neither of them said anything for a short time but Tom decided to approach her. He knew he was responsible for her current state so he would try to do something about it.  
  
"Why are you still up?" Tom asked.  
  
"I….was waiting for you," she said and looked down at the picture in her hands.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I was afraid you wouldn't come back and it'd be my fault," She said as more tears threatened to fall. Tom didn't know what to say. He came closer to her and looked at the picture in her hands. It was one from many years ago showing him, Kathleen and Moira playing on the beach.  
  
"I'm back, so go to bed," Tom said. He waited for her to move but she just stared at the picture. "Look, I'm sorry for causing so much trouble," he said in all sincerity but mostly because he wanted her to get up and go to bed.  
  
"No, I'm sorry," Kathleen finally stood and faced him. "I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it," she began but was interrupted by Tom.  
  
"Stop! I know you meant it at the time you said it and I agree with you, things would be simpler if I hadn't shown up but I'm here now and I have nowhere else to go, so we're all going to have to deal with it." Tom was about to leave but was stopped.  
  
"You're home now, this is where you belong,"  
  
"I used to but I can't keep walking on eggshells around everybody, hoping I don't do something or say something to make them mad at me," he snapped at her.  
  
"They just don't know you yet, and you don't know them. Things will get better."  
  
"Let's hope."  
  
"It has to, because if we lose you again…." She couldn't finish as the tears finally fell. She clutched the picture to her chest. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her offering whatever comfort he could. She cried on his shoulder and Tom wished he could bring back the boy in the picture.  
  
He had a few minutes before classes started so he decided to spend the time in solitude, outside the school. Not too far from the side entrance he sat leaning against the wall and thinking. He shouldn't have come back here. He shouldn't have left the ship, but he couldn't stay there either. He leaned his head against the hard material of the wall and looked up into the clear blue sky. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky but he didn't take the time to enjoy it.  
  
Some voices and giggling caught his attention and he turned his head to see who it was. Going into the side entrance were a group of girls, some of whom he had seen previously. They were looking at him and whispering but he paid them no mind and returned to his tumultuous musings.  
  
"Tommy," a sickeningly sweet female voice called him. He knew to whom it belonged to and a slight smile graced his features. She always used that voice to annoy him.  
  
"Sabrel, what are you doing here?" he said, still gazing up at the sky.  
  
"Checking on my favourite enigma." She sat down beside him and joined in the sky gazing. Sabrel was a betazoid and a friend of Isaac's and thus a friend of Tom's. She had short brown hair and the characteristic black eyes. "So…."  
  
Tom turned slightly to look at her. "So?" he asked.  
  
"What brings you out here?" she asked,  
  
"What's in there." He pointed to the wall they were leaning against.  
  
"I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who can't stand them," Sabrel said. She was not among the popular girls in school because she didn't conform. She was a free spirit, doing as she pleased and dressing as she pleased. Her clothing was baggier than what was currently considered in style and because of it the more popular girls tended not to socialize with her. Tom however, thought that she was beautiful but knew she wasn't interested in him. She had her sights set on one of the members of the Parisee Squares team.  
  
"It's not that I can't stand them but I'm tired of the stares and whispers," Tom explained.  
  
"Well nobody knows anything about you," she said and looked at him. "They're just curious,"  
  
"Well they could just ask," Tom said. "I can just imagine all the rumours,"  
  
"I've heard most of them but I've yet to hear the real story and there's only one person who can tell it." She looked pointedly at him and Tom got the idea so he gave her the abbreviated version. The first bell rang just as he finished and he stood up and offered her a hand. Sabrel was still reeling with what she had just been told and hadn't even heard the bell.  
  
"Earth to Sabrel, please respond." Tom waved a hand in front of her face and she finally returned to the present.  
  
"I'm so sorry Tom," she said softly.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Besides we're going to be late for class," Thomas said looking at his watch. They walked to the entrance and went inside.  
  
"Can I still ask more questions?" Sabrel asked him.  
  
"If you want," Tom offered and Sabrel took him up on his offer and asked question about his watch and headband before they had to take separate routes to get to their classes. They parted and planned to meet with the others after the school day was over.  
  
The last bell finally rang and a few minutes later after retrieving the items he wanted from his locker, Tom waited outside for Isaac, Sabrel and Cal. Cal was the last member of the small group of people Tom spent time with. Every so often he would look at his watch and check the time. He had a meeting and he had to be on time.  
  
Cal and Sabrel emerged first and the three were left waiting for Isaac to show up. Cal noticed Tom kept looking at his watch. "Are you in a hurry?  
  
"Yeah, where the hell do you have to be that's so important?" came a voice from behind Cal. They looked and to their displeasure stood Jeremy and his friend Brian.  
  
"Well, well, if it isn't 'Brain' and 'Dummy'," Thomas scoffed. These two in particular had been giving Tom trouble since he arrived.  
  
"I'll ignore that and give you a second chance to answer the question," Jeremy stated. Tom and Jeremy glared daggers at each other.  
  
"At least he's asking," Sabrel said quietly to Tom.  
  
"If you must know, I have a meeting with my probation officer," Tom said without breaking eye contact and watched in satisfaction as shock registered on Jeremy's face. Isaac exited the building and joined his friends. He noticed Jeremy and Brian talking to Tom and hoped Tom hadn't said something to aggravate them.  
  
"About time you showed up," Cal said to Isaac and then addressed Jeremy and Brian. "We have to go now."  
  
"I don't know why you're so scared of them," Tom said once they were away from Brian and Jeremy.  
  
"It's an unwritten rule. You, just don't bother them!" Isaac said. Tom shrugged and the group continued walking. Tom was walking to the stop where he could catch a public transport to take him to Starfleet Security. Isaac, Sabrel and Cal where going to Cal's hover-car.  
  
"Are you really on probation?" Isaac asked and the other two looked at Tom as well. Tom nodded and took off his watch.  
  
"Monitored probation," he added as he showed them the wristband. "Not only that but they won't even let me get my pilot's licence." In the distance he heard the sound of a transport coming and knew it would be the one taking him to his meeting. He quickly put the watch on again. "I've got to. My ride is almost here." He began to run to the pick up area where a few other students where already waiting. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Tom called over his shoulder to his friends who where still in a state of shock, each of them wondering what he could have done to be put on monitored probation.  
  
"You're late," the officer said as Tom walked into the room.  
  
"Bite me," Tom snapped at him. He hated these meetings. They asked him how things were going as if they actually cared and then after they were done with the niceties they tried to get more information from him about the people he had been living with. He had already agreed to help them improve their security systems by showing them how he would have bypassed them and show them what security set-ups are best for different situations but he was not going to give them any specific information about Douglas, Vaiyer, Murphy, Mec or Takara. He didn't want Starfleet tracing them. Tom had a good reason why he wouldn't give them any information but since he did not tell anybody they resorted to speculation.  
  
"How have you been?" Lt. Hargan asked from across the table.  
  
"Cut the crap and let's get this meeting over with," Tom said as he sank into one of the other chairs.  
  
"You'll curb that mouth of yours while you're here. Is that understood?" Hargan asked and Tom nodded after a moment. "If you want to get right down to business then come with me." Hargan stood and headed for the exit. Tom swivelled his chair around but didn't make any move to follow.  
  
"Where are we going?" Tom asked.  
  
"Holodeck," Hargan said and left the room. Tom paused for a moment before he too got up and left the room, following Hargan through the corridors until they made to the holodeck. As they walked Tom saw a few officers waiting outside what he assumed was the holodeck. Their uniforms where also yellow and black so Tom assumed they would be participating in whatever it was Hargan had planned.  
  
Tom's assumption had been correct on all counts. Hargan outlined what his objective was and what the other officers would be doing. Basically Tom had to get through the program and the Security officers were going to try to stop him. They would be monitored by the cameras and sensors in the holodeck and, a few rooms over, Hargan and another officer would be watching. Tom and three officers entered the large holodeck and began the scenario. Four minutes later it was over when Tom reached his goal.  
  
In the other room Hargan was shaking his head in disbelief while the other officer tried to determine what had happened. A few seconds after they had started Tom had disappeared from the cameras and he only appeared on sensors a few times before vanishing again. Tom didn't know it but this was the best design the engineers had come up with for a security outpost near the outskirts of the Federation and he managed to by pass every system. //They'll just have to find something better,// Hargan thought to himself. It had been his idea to test out the systems this way. Use a thief to catch a thief, as it were.  
  
He reset the holodeck after saving the information and the scenario changed. This time Tom would be alone in the holodeck and would have to try and reach his goal. Hargan informed Tom of this and began the scenario with all sensors and cameras locked on Tom.  
  
Inside the holodeck Tom looked around. The scenario had already started but he hadn't moved yet. He didn't know the layout so this would be a challenge. The room, as far as he could tell, was a large cargo storage area with several tall stacks of crates. The crates prevented him from seeing very far but he saw one holographic guard pass by about ten meters away. Luckily he had not been looking in Tom's direction. Tom decided it was about time he started moving. He moved to the left and hid behind some of the crates. Sneaking a quick peak around the next corner he estimated how far he had to go to reach his goal. He formulated a plan and executed it.  
  
"Well?" Hargan asked the other officer who was looking at the sensors.  
  
"I can't find him sir," the other man said. Tom had once again disappeared from sensors and the cameras. A few seconds later the a small light on the console changed form red to green meaning Tom had successfully completed the scenario.  
  
"Do you have him on sensors?" Hargan asked as he looked at the video feeds. He thought he caught a glimpse of Tom but he couldn't be sure.  
  
"I still can't locate him," the officer said and Hargan sighed in frustration.  
  
"Where the hell is he?" Hargan asked to no one in particular.  
  
"Aww, did you miss me?" Tom asked and two startled people turned around and saw him leaning, with his arms crossed over his chest, against the wall beside the door.  
  
"How long have you been there?" Hargan asked.  
  
"A while," Tom walked over to them. "How'd I do?"  
  
"Let's just say you're about to make the engineers who designed this scenario very angry," Hargan said with a slight smile.  
  
  
  
"Why?" Owen asked.  
  
"I just can't," Tom said with his hands gripping the back of a chair. Both his parents where in the living room while Kathleen stood at the far doorway listening.  
  
"You just don't want to," Owen interpreted. "Those people aren't you're friends Tom," Owen had been told by Lt. Hargan that Tom still refused to disclose any information about the kidnappers. He had received the information yesterday but had been too busy at the office to talk to Tom about it until now.  
  
"I know that," Tom said tersely.  
  
"Then why keep protecting them?" Emily asked.  
  
"Because I promised them I wouldn't snitch!" Tom finally said. "I left them a message before I left and told them that I wouldn't tell anybody anything about them. It was the only way I could assure them and keep them from hunting me down."  
  
"You're safe here. You don't have to worry about them," Owen said.  
  
"Yes I do! Now more than ever!"  
  
"Why? I don't understand," Emily said to her son. She looked at him with pleading eyes hoping he would tell them.  
  
"When I first left, I had nothing to loose but now…." Tom trailed off.  
  
"We're safe here!" Owen said.  
  
"We weren't safe here ten years ago and if what I saw yesterday at the security building is the best you have then we aren't safe here now!" Tom said. That statement quieted his family for a few seconds before Owen spoke again.  
  
"If you'd give us some information about them, then we'd be able to catch them and they wouldn't be a threat anymore," Owen reasoned.  
  
"You can't guarantee you'll catch them," Tom said.  
  
"But with your help-" Emily began.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Why?" she asked.  
  
"Because they'll kill you to get at me!" Tom finally told them.  
  
"Would they really do that?" Kathleen asked from the doorway. Tom looked at her and then looked at his father.  
  
"I told you what happened to Takara," Tom said and Owen stayed silent. "They'll do it, because I've seen them do worse," he told them all. "I can't take that chance."  
  
  
  
The next day at school more glances and stares followed him as he made his way to his locker. He didn't understand why but for some reason the looks they gave him spoke of more than curiosity. When he reached his locker one word was written on it in bold letters, 'CRIMINAL'.  
  
"Is it true?" Tom turned around and saw Cal and Isaac.  
  
"Is what true?" Tom asked.  
  
"This," Isaac thrust a paper in his face and Tom quickly skimmed the content. "These are floating around the school. Is it true?" Isaac said.  
  
"To a degree," Tom said and handed the paper back to him.  
  
"How much of it?" Cal asked but before Tom could respond another voice intruded.  
  
"All of it!" Jeremy said. "I guess your secret's out," Jeremy said.  
  
"I take it this is your doing," Tom said to him and Jeremy bowed. "It was never a secret, just not common knowledge,"  
  
"I had to do a little research but now they all know and can finally see you for what you really are!" Jeremy stepped up closer to him but Tom didn't move away. "A liar, a cheat, and a crook, and those are your good qualities,"  
  
"You better watch what you say," Tom warned.  
  
"Oh, I'm so scared," his words dripped with sarcasm and Tom was tired of his attitude. He pivoted and was about to walk away but Jeremy grabbed him and slammed him against the wall of lockers. "Where the hell do you think you're going? I haven't dismissed you yet!"  
  
Shouts started coming form the crowd of students who had come to witness the confrontation. The mob mentality was firmly planted in place as they shouted repeatedly for them to fight. In the crowd Isaac and Cal tried to come to Tom's aid but Jeremy's friends where blocking them.  
  
"Let go of me or you'll regret it," Tom articulated each word and forced himself not to lash out at Jeremy. He was making himself a welcome target for Tom to take out his frustrations and emotions on but he resisted the urge to beat him senseless.  
  
"Threats from you don't scare me!" Jeremy leaned in closer and spoke softly so only his victim could hear him. "I have the power here. Their idiots!" He nodded in the direction of the crowd. "They'll follow whoever is strong enough to lead them and that's me. I tell them what's right and what's wrong, what's in and what's out and I say that you," he slammed Tom into the lockers again for emphasis "are out!"  
  
When the tirade ended Tom decided Jeremy needed to be brought out of his dream world and proceeded to show him the reality of the situation. In one swift motion Tom switched their positions so Jeremy was now pinned against the lockers. He pressed his forearm against Jeremy's neck enough to lessen his ability to breath but not enough to choke.  
  
"You don't know who you're dealing with and you grossly overestimate your influence!" Tom leaned closer. "I am not afraid of you. I've beat tougher and smarter people than you and I can do it again." Tom held him there to make sure his point got across before releasing him.  
  
"You'll regret this," Jeremy choked out as he gasped for precious oxygen.  
  
"Not a half as much as you will. I won't be intimidated by the likes of you!" Tom stated evenly as he reigned in his emotions. He walked away from Jeremy and towards the crowd that parted as he took his leave.  
  
The end of classes came around too slowly in Tom's opinion. Throughout the day he received several comments and was taunted whenever a teacher or school official wasn't present. The whispered comments where now spoken loud enough for him to hear as he passed but he ignored them, acted like they didn't matter. Everybody had an opinion about what was none of his or her business.  
  
Nobody was willing to take him in a fight, which was one thing that Tom was thankful for but being pushed around in a crowded hallway was not uncommon. Several times he was knocked to the ground and on the last occasion someone had managed to take his headband. Fortunately the scar on his forehead was partially concealed by the hair the fell to his forehead but it managed to earn him more glances.  
  
When the day came to a close Tom left immediately, hoping to escape further embarrassment. He didn't wait for his friends thinking they probably wanted nothing more to do with him but when he heard his name being called without an insult being attached at the beginning or end he knew it was his friends. He still held hope but knew they would want the whole story; he could give them that.  
  
  
  
"Hey, Tommy," Kathleen said when she saw her brother walk into the house. He was a little later returning from school than usual but she assumed he had finally joined an extracurricular group like their parents had been insisting he should. It seemed all he did was read, listen to music and watch vids. Normally they wouldn't mind but his behaviour was very anti-social and they didn't want him to have any trouble fitting in at school.  
  
"Hey Kath," Tom said as he put his bag down and went to the kitchen to get something to eat. When he didn't come out for at least five minutes she decided to see what he was doing. Kathleen found Tom looking at the replicator console as it displayed a list of items it could replicate. Tom's brow was creased in confusion. He had never heard of most of these foods. His diet before had consisted mostly of the bare essentials and not much more. These foods were foreign to him as was much of his new life.  
  
"You need some help?" Kathleen asked him with a smile.  
  
"Yeah. What's a….dough…nut?" Tom read the strange word from the list.  
  
"You've never had one?" Tom shook his head and continued looking through the list of junk food.  
  
"Gummie Bears? Pixie stix? Pop…corn?" Tom read more of the strange names from the list and looked to his sister hoping she could shed some light on what exactly all of this was.  
  
"You have to try some of these," Kathleen said as she approached the replicator. It started out innocently enough but it soon exploded into a massive taste test. They replicated several types of junk food and ate them together while they talked in the kitchen. An hour later that was how Emily Paris found them; happily talking over a bowl of gummie worms.  
  
  
  
As the year wore on Tom found himself growing more accustomed to his new life despite the radical changes. Generally he was happy. He still had arguments with his sisters and his parents –usually his father-but he knew his place was with them. They were his strength and with them he had found contentment, which he had rarely experienced before. Still, there was a gap between them. Tom would not speak of his time with his abductors nor would he give any information about them. Countless times his family and friends would assure him of their security but every so often Tom would look over his shoulder expecting to see somebody following him but never had he found them.  
  
  
  
"Well?"  
  
"He is no threat to us," Mec said as he stepped off the transporter pad. Douglas still wasn't appeased. He stood leaning against the transporter controls deep in thought. "He has not given Starfleet any information."  
  
"Yet," Douglas added. "One day he'll tell them and they'll track us down."  
  
"You are being paranoid." Mec stated. "He has nothing to gain from turning us in and he fears us; you in particular."  
  
Douglas was silent as he tried to convince himself. "In time he'll forget everything we've taught him," Douglas stated to himself, "but mark my words, if he turns on us he'll regret it for the rest of his life."  
  
  
  
His life right now was everything he could have imagined and more-a family, real friends who stood by him and a bright future. Every day he would walk the short distance to his house from where the public transport would drop him off. As he approached the building he knew it wasn't just any building, inside were the people who meant the most to him. They loved him unconditionally and he was now absolutely certain he loved them as well. It felt like he always had, as if the feelings had never truly been lost, only forgotten. With the help of his family and the familiar surroundings the emotions had been rekindled but not in the same magnitude they had been before.  
  
Ten of the most important years of his life had been spent away from his family and Tom had grown up without them. There would always be a rift separating Tom from the rest of his family, one only time could bridge. Despite the set backs, every day when he approached the structure after school he knew he was home.  
  
End Part 4: Where the Heart Is  
  
Sorry it took so long but there it is. Comments and stuff to zappyzaps@hotmail.com The next chapter won't take quite so long to be posted (hopefully). 


	6. Part 5: Higher Learning

1 And This Is His Story 5  
  
By Zappy Zaps  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
1.1  
  
Part 5: Higher Learning  
  
Author's Note: These are just some excerpts from his academy years. Thanks to Brigid for beta-reading.  
  
Tom finished his year of high school and was glad to be leaving. His friends had made the experience bearable but the rest of his classmates had not been as accommodating –Jeremy and is friend Cal (Calvin) in particular. His strong personality and non-conformist attitude won him the respect of many but the wrath of others.  
  
When the year came to an end Tom didn't bother to attend the formal dance and party even though his sisters tried to convince him it was worth going. Being over three years younger than many of the seniors he hadn't felt totally comfortable around them and had opted for quietly leaving the school.  
  
Tom wrote the entrance exam to Starfleet Academy and was accepted, much to his father's delight. Owen had always wanted Tom to attend the academy and before the abduction, had been ready to push Tom as much as he thought was necessary. He believed his son had the potential to be the youngest Admiral in Starfleet. However, after loosing his son once he was not as keen on pushing Tom, fearing he might push him away. Owen didn't know it but reconsidering how he encouraged his son would be the saving grace in the sometimes-turbulent father-son relationship.  
  
First Year  
  
"Julian Bashir," the young man introduced himself and extended his hand.  
  
"Tom Paris," Tom replied and shook the proffered hand. "Nice to meet you. What program are you in?" Tom asked his new roommate.  
  
"Medical. In nine or so years I'll be a certified Starfleet doctor," Julian said smiling.  
  
"In four years I'll finally be piloting a starship," Tom said with a smile and opened up one of his bags. He had just arrived at the dorm and met his first ever roommate. Tom still had to unpack but Julian had arrived early and had unpacked already.  
  
"Do you want some help?" Julian offered.  
  
"No thanks. I'll be done soon,"  
  
Julian looked at Tom for a moment before he pulled out a padd and did some reading. Ever so often he would glance up at his roommate wondering what he was thinking. Julian remembered hearing about how the son of Admiral Paris had been found and it looked like he would be sharing a room with that very person.  
  
The year started out well enough for Tom. He attended classes like a good cadet and did his work but there was still something about him which stood out from the other cadets and the other cadets noticed it. Thomas still had the scar on his forehead and therefore he still wore his black headband. Most Academy professors didn't mind but some did and he was ordered to remove it revealing the mark which was not totally covered by the hair falling over his forehead. He managed though and most cadets didn't even take notice but still, Tom was different from the other cadets. The girls where intrigued and the more they found out about Tom the more they liked him. The boys however disliked the attention Tom received from the female population but still tolerated his presence. Since they had access to the Starfleet database they had been able to read up about Tom Paris and they liked what they read.  
  
"Hey Paris," a cadet called and Tom turned around to see who it was. Tom recognized him as another cadet in his warp theory class but didn't actually know his name or what he wanted.  
  
"Yes,"  
  
"A bunch of us are thinking of heading out to the city tonight,"  
  
"Breaking curfew," Tom said and the other boy nodded. Lower year students who stayed at the dorms had to adhere to the curfew and other rules. "What's that have to do with me?"  
  
"We're just inviting you along and since we know you have certain skills which might come in handy…" the cadet left the rest of his statement go unfinished.  
  
"Looking for trouble are you?" Tom inferred knowing what these people where into.  
  
"Maybe. Think you could help us out?"  
  
"I could but I have one question for you. Are you ready to do the time?" Tom walked away without waiting for an answer. They weren't ready for the type of trouble Tom could get them into and if they were as naïve as they sounded they would definitely get caught.  
  
"What are you reading?" Julian asked his roommate as he entered their shared room.  
  
"Some text from a security course," Tom said. Starfleet had added a few tactical and security courses to his roster. With Tom's previous training by his kidnappers they would be able to hone those skills to be useful for security -use a thief to catch a thief as it were. Also Tom was not the type of person to take orders easily especially if it was from somebody he didn't trust or respect. The security courses were more physically tasking than others and they hoped it would help mould Tom into a more compliant officer.  
  
"I thought you were doing the command courses,"  
  
"I am but they added some security and tactical courses to my roster,"  
  
"You're going to be busy with all those courses," Julian stated.  
  
"Probably to keep me out of trouble," Tom said quietly. Tom had a tendency to find his way into situations when he wasn't occupied. That's the way things had been on the ship. When he was bored he looked for something to do and it usually got him in trouble. At some point boredom had equalled getting in trouble. When Tom was on monitored probation, Lt. Hargan knew of the times when Tom had left his house late at night but he knew Tom would be like any typical teenager so he turned his cheek to the infractions as long as Tom hadn't committed any offences.  
  
"Why would they need to keep to that?" Julian asked. The surprise didn't show on Tom's face as he looked at Julian. It was nearly impossible to hear what he had said. "What?" Julian said when he noticed Tom's eyes on him.  
  
"Nothing," Tom said and went back to reading. He never did answer Julian's question. Something about Julian made Tom wonder. Julian was a genius and had reflexes and hand eye coordination which could have made him a better pilot than Tom. For reason unknown to Tom, Julian harboured a lot of resentment towards his parents for something they had done a long time ago.  
  
A few days later Tom was thoroughly intrigued by what secret Julian was hiding and had a hypothesis as to what it was. Julian was busy reading some texts for his course while Tom sat on his bed staring at Julian's teddy bear named Kukulaka. Tom had some jazz music playing. The current song was 'Take Five' by Dave Brubeck. Julian didn't seem to mind the music so Tom kept it on. No one spoke for several minutes until Tom asked Julian if he had ever been to a certain planet outside the federation. The planet wasn't a big tourist spot but genetic alterations where done there. Julian gave Tom a half-truth response saying he may have been there once as a child.  
  
Tom could tell he was lying or at least not telling him the whole truth. "I went there once," Tom said casually. Julian tried to act like he was still working but was listening very carefully to what his roommate was saying. "I had a job to do but the people there seemed nice enough."  
  
"Is there a point to this?" Julian asked in irritation. He knew that Tom knew of his genetic enhancements. Julian wasn't sure how Tom knew but he did and it could mean trouble for him.  
  
"Not really but you should let it go. They were just trying to help you." Tom lay back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling with his hand under his head.  
  
"Just trying to help me!" Julian said in outrage. "They changed who I was! I have a right to be angry at them!"  
  
"Yes you do, but how long do you intend on staying angry at them?" Tom turned his head so he could see his roommate.  
  
Julian didn't have an answer to that question. He couldn't forgive them for killing the person he was. He had not been a bright child but when they had him genetically enhanced it killed that person.  
  
"You should give them another chance. You might regret not having a good relationship with them someday," Tom continued.  
  
"And how would you know?" Julian asked incredulously.  
  
"Because I cherish the relationship I have with my family after ten years of not knowing I had one." Tom told him. "Just give them a chance."  
  
Julian looked at Tom for a moment knowing what he was referring to before turning back to his work. For a few minutes on the sound of jazz music was in the room until Julian asked Tom something.  
  
"How did you find out?" he asked not looking at Tom but at the text. Tom picked up a padd from his desk.  
  
"Julian," he called as he threw the padd at him. Julian turned his head and saw the padd flying towards him and with impossibly quick reflexes he caught the object in mid air. "That's how," Tom said simply. "Most people would be sporting a bruise on their face if I did that to them." Julian reflected on what had just happened and realised Tom was right. His genetic enhancements made him faster, smarter and gave him and edge at nearly everything he did.  
  
"Are you-" Julian was about to ask Tom if he was going to tell anybody about what he knew. Genetic enhancements were illegal and it was of the utmost importance his secret not get out. If it did he would be kicked out of the Academy and Starfleet Medical.  
  
"Nobody will here anything from me. I'm not in the business of ruining lives." Tom assured. "At least not anymore," Tom whispered to himself as the same feeling guilt and shame came over him as he remembered the things he had done and how they could have ruined somebody's life or destroyed their business.  
  
Tom went back to listening to the music while Julian went back to studying.  
  
As the first semester wore on Tom and Julian became friend and Tom also made a few friends in his classes. He had to be careful who he trusted due to his status as an admiral's son. He had underestimated what it actually took to get into Starfleet. Many of the cadets had to apply more than once before being accepted so they were looking for ways to make the rest of their time in the Academy easier and Tom would have been the way if he had not found out what their intentions where.  
  
Two of his other close friends where Marcus and Sural. Marcus had caramel coloured skin and curly, black hair. He was also training to be a pilot as was Sural who had black hair, pointed ears and other Vulcan features. Another person Tom became close to was Suzie Crabtree, another first year cadet. She had auburn hair, green eyes and she had Tom's heart.  
  
  
  
Third Year  
  
Tom waited outside the quarters of a friend after he had pressed the chime. Actually it was the quarters of Isaac's sister Sarah. She was also going to Starfleet Academy and was in her second year. Tom was in his third year but was a year younger than Sarah.  
  
Tom had been drafted by Isaac, whom he kept in touch with, to check up on his sister when she was in her first year of the Academy. Tom was in second year at the time so he knew the grounds well enough to be able to show her around and they became friends.  
  
"Sarah!" Tom called through the door. He knew she was here, she told him to come here at this time. Maybe she was playing a joke on him-it wouldn't be the first time. He decided to try again and reached for the announcer just as the door opened.  
  
A young with woman dark brown hair stood in front of him. She wasn't Sarah and she assumed she was Sarah's roommate.  
  
"Hi, I'm looking for Sarah. She told me to meet her here," Tom trailed off as he noticed the woman run her eyes up and down him suspiciously. Tom noticed the ridges on her forehead. //She must be part Klingon,// Tom thought to himself. Her Klingon features were softer than a full blood Klingon would be. He remembered Sarah telling him about her roommate who was a first year cadet but an extremely talented engineer.  
  
"Come in," she said quietly and moved out of the way. Tom stepped inside the shared room and she closed the door.  
  
"Tom Paris," he extended her hand to him. She looked at it for a moment disinterestedly and Tom wasn't sure if she would shake his hand but she eventually grasped it.  
  
"B'Elanna Torres," she introduced herself. Tom smiled softly at her.  
  
"Do you know when Sarah will be back?" He had noted her absence.  
  
"She's in the washroom I'll get her," B'Elanna said and went to the door of the washroom they shared with the girls next door. She slipped in and closed the door behind her. Tom was left to wait patiently for her return.  
  
"Sarah, Tom Paris is here," B'Elanna said to the girl who was brushing her hair.  
  
"So what do you think of him?" Sarah asked as she finished doing her hair.  
  
"He seems nice enough, though I'm not sure why I should care," B'Elanna crossed her arms.  
  
"You could come with us," Sarah put the brush down and looked at B'Elanna's reflection in the mirror. "You know you want to," Sarah urged but she could see B'Elanna was still debating whether to go with them.  
  
"I don't want to intrude-" B'Elanna started.  
  
"Intrude?" She rolled her eyes and turned to face B'Elanna. "He's only a friend, Bea. You said you wanted to meet more people outside classes and here's your chance." B'Elanna had trouble making friends here due to her volatile and confrontational nature. Sarah however enjoyed B'Elanna's company and was the only true friend B'Elanna had made since she had arrived.  
  
"Alright,"  
  
They walked back into the room and saw Tom looking out the window to the San Francisco campus. B'Elanna was about to announce their presence but Sarah stopped her and crept up behind him. She was going to try and scare him but before she could….  
  
"Don't even think about it Sarah," Tom said and turned around. Sarah let out the breath she had been saving up to yell in his ear with.  
  
"One of these days I'll get you," she vowed. Tom only smiled at her.  
  
"Ready yet?"  
  
"Uh-huh. Do you mind if B'Elanna comes with us?" she asked.  
  
"Not at all," Tom said and smiled at B'Elanna. A few minutes later the trio left the building to go and find something to entertain themselves in the big city.  
  
  
  
Only a few seconds after they returned there was a knock on the door. Sarah and B'Elanna looked at each other wondering who it could be. Maybe Tom forgot something. He had been enough of a gentleman to walk them back to their room. Sarah opened the door and two of her friends practically flew in.  
  
"What are you guys doing here?" Sarah asked in surprised.  
  
"We just saw Tom Paris leaving, and had to ask what happened," One girl said excitedly.  
  
"Did you finally make a move on him?" the other girl asked impatiently. B'Elanna ignored them and continued reading her novel. They talked about him as if he were a piece of meat. Tricia and Hilary where two of Sarah's friends, though B'Elanna couldn't see why. Something about them told her they were the type of friends that would start saying nasty things about you right after you left them room.  
  
"I am not going to make a move on my brother's friend," Sarah said as she sat on the edge of her bed.  
  
"I can't believe you!" Tricia exclaimed.  
  
"If you want him so badly then go talk to him," Sarah said.  
  
"Are you kidding? Since Crabtree he's only had one girlfriend and you're the closest girl to him now,"  
  
"Who's Crabtree," B'Elanna asked. Tricia and Hilary were going to ignore her but Sarah answered.  
  
"Suzie Crabtree was Tom's girlfriend when he was in first year. She broke up with him and he took it hard. I think he was in love with her. At least that's what I've heard."  
  
"Oh," B'Elanna said and was silent for the rest of the night as the other three gossiped, mostly about Tom.  
  
Tom was in his room sleeping when a cold bucket of water was dumped on him. He bolted upright in bed and looked around in the dark. He couldn't see them clearly but he heard one of them laughing as they ran out of his room. Tom shook his head to get some of the water off his face. He sat there in his wet bed for a few seconds. He knew who had done this to him and he was going to pay for it. He got up and walked to the washroom now regretting telling them how to open up locked doors.  
  
"So Tom, did you have a good sleep?" Marcus asked when Tom walked out of his room in the morning. Tom looked at him and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Quite. The bucket of water you dumped on me was rather refreshing," Tom said humourlessly.  
  
"Aw, poor baby," Marcus reached to pinch his cheek but Tom batted his hand away. Tom glared at him.  
  
"There will be retribution for this stunt," Tom promised. "You and Sural will pay dearly."  
  
"Whatever," Marcus said and began walking away. Tom ran to catch up. "Speaking of our Vulcan buddy we should get going. You know how he is when we're late."  
  
"How did you manage to pull him into your stupid scheme anyway?" Tom asked. Sural wasn't one for silly human stunts. Marcus began his tale and Tom listened and laughed along with him.  
  
  
  
A few weeks later the Academy classes were on a break and Tom went home to spend some time with his parents. That weekend Admiral Paris was hosting a party and since he was home Tom had to attend. So for three hours Tom played the gracious host as he met several admirals, captains and other high-ranking officers. During the party Tom also met Commander Dumas, Jeremy Dumas' father. That was how Jeremy was able to get the information about Tom. His father probably allowed him access to the Starfleet database.  
  
It was a boring party to say the least but Tom suffered his way through it until finally the guests were beginning to leave. Tom was ready to seek the refuge of his room but before he could make it to the stairs he was called by his father to meet another officer.  
  
"Tom, this is Commander Janeway, she serves as the first officer on the USS Billings. Kathryn this is my son Tom." Owen introduced the two.  
  
They shook hands and Owen left them to go accompany another guest to the door. "It's pleasure to meet you," Tom said as he smiled. "Billings, constitution class isn't it?"  
  
"Yes," Kathryn said, slightly surprised Tom knew what class the ship was.  
  
"It's in dry-dock for an overhaul as they fix the sensor array," Tom stated.  
  
"How did you know that?"  
  
"I looked at the set-up of the sensor array and noticed it had the same flaw as a ship I had been on before,"  
  
"You read about constitution class ships?" Janeway asked knowing there were more exciting classes of ships out there for a young man to be interested in.  
  
"All types of ships actually. It's a hobby," Tom shrugged and Janeway smiled.  
  
"Quite a hobby," Kathryn said. They talked a bit more about the Billings and some of the mission she had been on lately before she left the house. She had enjoyed her conversation with Tom and hoped to see him again.  
  
Inputting another string of commands the shuttle in the simulation rolled and avoided an onslaught of weapons fire. The simulation ended a few minutes later after Tom had defeated his enemies and the shuttle's screen went black. Tom sat back in the chair and sighed. He was born to fly yet for the past four years he had not done much piloting and he very much missed it. Simulations were all right but they were no competition for the real thing. Having the ship respond to your touch, only a few pieces of metal separating you from the vacuum of space- he missed it all, including the danger.  
  
That's what had been lacking the most: danger, excitement and adventure. His life right now had him grounded in more than one sense of the word. Although he was generally happy with his current situation there was a void. He had grown up with danger being around every corner and now there was none. He was always safe and found himself itching to do something stimulating.  
  
Logging out of the system, Tom left the simulators and headed back to his dorm room. It was late at night and only the stars and moon illuminated the path. There was little waiting for him back there but he had nowhere else to be. The main doors would be locked soon so he was supposed to get in before that occurred but locked doors had never been a problem for him.  
  
  
  
Tom was looking at a poster for the upcoming variety show when a voice asked: "Are you going?" Tom looked over his shoulder and saw B'Elanna approaching him. They had only seen each other a few times in the past few months.  
  
"No,"  
  
"You're not?" B'Elanna was surprised. Tom Paris seemed like the ideal Starfleet Cadet –hard working, dedicated, talented and with a long history of Starfleet officers in his blood. She had expected him to attend all the major functions. At least that's how he looked on the outside but she was beginning to realize she didn't know much about him.  
  
"Where the Academy's brightest stars come out to shine," Tom said without enthusiasm. "No, you won't see me there."  
  
"What makes you think I'll be going?" She crossed her.  
  
"I went my first year," Tom shrugged. "I figured you'd try to experience it at least once before skipping it."  
  
"So what will you be doing instead?" she tried not to sound too interested.  
  
"Would you care to join me?" Tom responded.  
  
"Tell me what you're doing first," she demanded.  
  
Tom finally turned to face her and smiled smugly, "No."  
  
"No?"  
  
"It's a surprise," his eyes sparkled with mischief and B'Elanna admitted to herself she was intrigued. "If you're interested come to room 412 in the Graham Dorm at twenty-two hundred," Tom said and walked away with a slight smile.  
  
The night of the variety show arrived and while most cadets were watching, Tom and three others would be making their own fun. A few minutes after 2200 a soft knock on room 412 was heard. B'Elanna walked in when Tom opened the door hoping nobody had seen her coming.  
  
"'Bout time you showed up," Tom joked. "Women, always fashionably late."  
  
"Shove it, Paris," B'Elanna snarled.  
  
"Feisty one."  
  
B'Elanna took notice of the other two people in the room. Leaning against the wall was Marcus and calmly seated on the edge of the bed was Sural. It was Marcus who had spoken and B'Elanna was ready to go after him when it occurred to her that Marcus was smiling. He had only been joking and for now B'Elanna let the comment slide.  
  
"So why the hell are we here?" Marcus asked Tom.  
  
"To have some fun," Tom said as he opened the window.  
  
"What are you doing? Where on the fourth floor!" Marcus exclaimed.  
  
"Really I hadn't noticed," Tom remarked sarcastically.  
  
"Four floors to the ground! Hello? What are you thinking?" Marcus protested as Tom stuck his head out the window and looked around.  
  
"I'm thinking there's only one floor to the roof." Tom came back into the room.  
  
"No!" Marcus stated firmly and crossed his arms. Tom shook his head and smiled.  
  
"You say that now but just wait." He looked at Sural. "You coming?" Tom asked.  
  
"I am not," Sural stated and Tom shrugged.  
  
"How about you, Torres?" Tom asked and after a moment she nodded. Tom's smile grew. "We'll see you guys later," Tom said and started climbing out the window. There was a small ledge about a foot below the windowsill where Tom planted his feet. B'Elanna followed suit. Tom used the ledges on the building and the window to climb to the roof.  
  
Once on there he was ready to offer his help to B'Elanna but found she was almost all the way up without his help. Looking below his female companion he could see Marcus starting the climb as well. "Marcus what the hell do you think you're doing?" Tom used Marcus' words from less than five minutes ago.  
  
"Shut up, Tom," he grunted and reached for the next ledge. "Somebody has to make sure you don't do something stupid."  
  
A few minutes later the three were on the roof but Tom wasn't ready to go just yet. "What are we waiting for?" B'Elanna asked.  
  
"Sural," Tom said matter-of-factly.  
  
"He said he wasn't coming," B'Elanna informed him.  
  
"Just wait." And so the trio waited and a few minutes later another hand reached the ledge of roof and Sural pulled himself up. "Glad you could join us," Tom said. He knew all along they would all be coming despite their protests.  
  
  
  
An hour later the group of four wandered the streets of San Francisco ready to have some fun. What they could do was limited due to their age but Tom wasn't one to give up so easily. There was some fog that night and the music drifting from the local establishments added a strange charm to the setting.  
  
As they passed another bar two of the men loitering outside eyed B'Elanna up and down. The others were oblivious to the men's appraisal but Tom could read people easily. He shifted his position so he was closer to B'Elanna in the event the men were looking for trouble or just a good time.  
  
"Hey there," one of them leered and cut off B'Elanna's path. The smell of alcohol hung heavily on the man and B'Elanna cringed. "Want to have some fun?"  
  
"No," was the firm response and B'Elanna went to walk by him but the man grabbed her arm.  
  
"Hold on! You haven't even heard my offer," he pulled B'Elanna close to him and B'Elanna retaliated. She punched him square in the jaw and the man fell backwards. The second man started to approach but Tom cut him off.  
  
"Are you looking for a broken jaw too?" he asked the drunk.  
  
"Get out of my way boy. I'll teach her a lesson," the older man threatened but Tom didn't move. The man glared at Tom and tried to punch him but the man's reflexes where so slow Tom had no difficulty dodging the blow and then tripping the man so he joined his friend on the ground. The group walked away and they were all silent for a while until Marcus spoke.  
  
"That's the most fun we've had all night," and the others excluding Sural smiled. After a while longer of wandering in and out of clubs and bars where they managed to pass for the legal drinking age they ended up staring out at the ocean as the moonlight glinted off the calm surface. The other's talked and gossiped but Tom was mostly silent through the exchange –his thoughts where elsewhere. While the others wondered and talked about what they would like to be doing and where their life might lead Tom was wondering if he was more cut out for the life he had and not the life he was currently living.  
  
Fourth Year  
  
Tom had been transferred to a training base in France for the first semester of his last year. It had been surprisingly easy for him to adapt to life with a group of strangers without his parents next door to offer support. He had been able to visit his other sister Moira a few times too since she was studying in Barcelona. Tom also got in some snowboarding. With the Alps only a few kilometres away he couldn't pass up the opportunity they presented.  
  
During his time in France he also discovered a nice little bar in Marseilles called Sandrine's. It was a small establishment but it had a lot of history and Tom, being interested in history, was drawn to it like a magnet. He became friends with Sandrine and the regulars of the bar but the time soon came for him to depart and finish his last semester in the San Francisco.  
  
Tom arrived back and immediately looked up his friends wondering where they had ended up this term. He found, Sarah, Marcus and Sural without any trouble but there was one name he couldn't find: B'Elanna Torres.  
  
"Did she transfer to a different campus or something?" Tom asked Sarah while they walked through the gardens.  
  
"No," Sarah said quietly.  
  
"Then where'd she go?" Tom asked.  
  
"She dropped out," Sarah said with a sigh. Tom looked at her to make sure she was serious and unfortunately she was. He noted the sorrow on Sarah's face and wondered if B'Elanna knew how much she was missed.  
  
"Did she tell anyone where she was going?" Tom asked. He knew B'Elanna didn't have a great relationship with her mother but still wondered if maybe she went home. Sarah shook her head indicating the negative. He had never told her how much he valued her friendship and it looked like he might never get that chance.  
  
End Part 5: Higher Learning  
  
The next part is coming really soon. Comments and stuff to zappyzaps@hotmail.com please. 


	7. Part 6: Past Encounters

1 And This Is His Story 6  
  
By Zappy Zaps  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
1.1  
  
Part 6: Past Encounters  
  
  
  
"Tom Paris," the familiar female voice called. Tom looked up from the piece of machinery he had been working on to see a woman with her auburn hair in a bun standing proudly. Tom smirked and stood up.  
  
"Cap'n Kathryn," Tom greeted her with a smile. Janeway couldn't keep a straight face any longer and a smile broke out.  
  
"That's Captain Janeway to you, mister," she warned him playfully. She hadn't seen Tom in years but he hadn't changed much. Still taller than her, still had the ability to irritate her and everybody else to no end, still wore a black headband and still had his boyish good looks.  
  
"Yes ma'am. So what brings you down under? I don't get many visits from captains these days," Tom said as he closed the panel on the shuttle he had been working on. After his graduation from Starfleet he had served on a few Starfleet vessels until his talents as a pilot and somewhat as an engineer were put to better use. He now worked as a test pilot, helping build and test new ships and shuttles in Australia and on Mars.  
  
"After the stunts you pulled I'm not surprised," Janeway said with slight censure. Tom picked up on the reprimand but ignored it.  
  
"I was right each time. It's not my fault my commanding officers were idiots." Tom knew he was insulting her comrades and colleagues but he had never cared much for the hierarchy of Starfleet.  
  
"Be that as it may, you still disobeyed direct orders-"  
  
"And placed myself and possibly others in danger," Tom finished for her. "I've heard it." Janeway just looked at him with an unwavering gaze that would have made any other officer uncomfortable but Tom just stared back.  
  
"I hope that's not the attitude you'll be bringing on my new ship," she said.  
  
"Blew up another one did you?" It was a joke but there was no expression on his face.  
  
"Voyager-" she started but once again Tom interrupted.  
  
"NCC-74656, Intrepid class, sustainable cruise velocity of factor 9.975, with integrated bio-neural circuitry." Tom gave her a cocky smirk just to irritate her and Janeway wondered if she was up to this challenge  
  
"Reading about starships is still a hobby I see," she said, unimpressed.  
  
"Reading about anything is still a hobby," he corrected. "I've seen the schematics of the ship already. So, you were getting to the point of this meeting," he brought them back on topic.  
  
"I'm here to offer you a posting on the ship as the chief helmsman."  
  
Tom raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't find anybody else to fill the position?" Tom asked and Kathryn tried not to infer anything from his statement.  
  
"No, I'm coming to you first. You've had experience flying through plasma storms and you are ranked as one of the best pilots in Starfleet," she explained.  
  
"Why would you need somebody who can fly through plasma storms?"  
  
"Because the mission is to find a Maquis vessel that disappeared in the badlands. My head of security was on it. He was supposed to check in twice in the past three weeks but he hasn't.  
  
"Maybe it's just your head of security that's missing," Tom suggested.  
  
"Maybe, but I intend to find out whether that is true for certain –with or without your help."  
  
"With," Tom said without missing a beat. Janeway nodded and told him the rest of the information would be sent to him before walking away. Tom picked up his tools and walked past the entrance to the shuttle. "You can stop eavesdropping now. She's gone."  
  
Marcus poked his head out to just to make sure before he came into the open. "I can't believe you did that! Only you would be stupid enough to talk to a Captain like that. Makes me wonder how you're a full lieutenant while I'm a lieutenant j.g. I'm not the one who goes around disobeying orders."  
  
"You should try it," Tom recommended, with a half smile.  
  
  
  
Three days later Tom stood outside his father's office waiting for the secretary to give him permission to enter. He was slightly nervous about seeing his father right now. Tom and Owen had a difficult relationship. Owen knew of Tom's potential and pushed Tom to climb the ranks but Tom was comfortable where he was. He could stay a lieutenant for he rest of his career and not care but his father wanted Tom to continue the 'Paris tradition'.  
  
They had had an argument two and a half weeks ago over his career decisions and had not spoken to each other since. Usually when they had an argument such as the last one they would not speak to each other for about a month giving both of them time to calm down and look at the situation from a different perspective. After the month went by they could usually work past whatever was coming between them.  
  
On the outside Tom seemed fine with this set-up but his father was hurting inside more than he would ever admit. There was a rift growing between the two and Owen didn't want to lose his son. It had already happened once, he wouldn't be able to stand it if it happened again.  
  
"You can go in," the woman at the desk told Tom. He thanked her and proceeded into the office.  
  
"Tom, what are you doing here?" Owen asked his son. Tom wondered what he was feeling. There was still a week and a half to go before the one-month mark rolled around.  
  
"Just came to tell you I'll be going on a mission under your protégé," Tom said neutrally. "Captain Janeway came to me a few days ago and offered me a position on her new ship,"  
  
"A permanent position?" Owen asked.  
  
"Probably not. The mission will only take a few weeks," Tom said.  
  
"You could stay on after the mission is over."  
  
"Maybe," Tom said noncommittally and heard his father sigh. "What do you want from me? One minute you're telling me to do what I want to and the next your pushing me to be a captain!"  
  
"I want you to harness your potential," Owen explained as he reigned in his emotions. Only two people could really get under his skin, his wife and his son. "You could have a bright future in Starfleet,"  
  
"I don't want to be a captain," Tom told him.  
  
Owen sat back in his chair, already tired of arguing. "You used to," he said quietly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"When you where small you wanted nothing more than to command your own starship," Owen said softly and looked the family picture on his desk. Tom was silent for a moment.  
  
"That was a long time ago," he said gently and sat down in a chair in front of the desk.  
  
"I know," Owen whispered. "I know." Owen took a deep breath and Tom waited. "I just wanted…" he trailed off.  
  
"…wanted a son you could be proud of for once," Tom finished for him.  
  
"I am proud of you, Tom," Owen stated and it was the truth. Tom had achieved a lot in his life, survived and thrived when the odds were stacked against him and persevered during times when most people would have given up. "I just think you should consider taking a permanent position on a starship."  
  
"Maybe," Tom said with a slight smile. Owens returned the smile and got up. He walked around the desk.  
  
"Stubborn," he ruffled Tom's hair and that earned him a mock glare. He continued to the replicator to get some tea while Tom fixed his hair.  
  
"I get it from my father," Tom said with a ghost of a smile.  
  
  
  
On Deep Space Nine Tom sat in Quark's having a drink. He had just arrived but was putting off going to Voyager for a few more minutes. He would be confined there for two to three weeks –he wanted to enjoy his last few minutes of freedom. Tom noticed the young man sitting at the bar talking to Quark and picked up some of the conversation. He shook his head as he heard what Quark was saying. Tom had heard this one before. Getting up and decided to pay a visit to the barkeep.  
  
"Quark what are you going on about this time?" Tom said casually as he took a seat.  
  
"Oh, it's you again. What are you doing here? Another job for Starfleet Security?" Quark asked and Tom was about to respond but Quark ignored him and went back to the Ensign he was trying to swindle.  
  
"Quark, give it up," Tom said. He knew Quark from when he came to see Julian or when he had done some work for Starfleet Security. He had training and expertise that could not be taught in any academy course and thus had been recruited to help on some missions.  
  
"Paris," Quark warned and Tom sighed. He reached over and picked up one of the crystals.  
  
"Dazzling aren't they? As bright as a Colaiden diamond." Tom admired the tiny stone. Quark snatched it away from him.  
  
"Brighter!" He snapped.  
  
"Hard to believe you can find them in any planet in the system-"  
  
"Alright!" Quark exclaimed, closed the case and left the Ensign alone. Tom smiled in triumph. He got up and the young officer followed him.  
  
"Thanks,"  
  
"Didn't they warn you about Ferengi at the Academy?" Tom joked.  
  
"Harry Kim," the young man introduced himself and Tom paused. Harry noticed the expression on the other man's face. "Do I know you from somewhere?" Harry had a vague recollection of somebody along time ago with blond hair, blue eyes and a black headband.  
  
"Thomas," Tom introduced himself the same way he had several years ago. The name stirred another memory but Harry could not pinpoint it. "Tom Paris, actually."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Harry said but he couldn't get rid of the feeling of déjà vu.  
  
  
  
In the captain's ready room Kathryn conversed with her first officer, Commander Cavit. Janeway only listened with half an ear as he reported the ship's status to her. Cavit was a good officer but just good. Not exceptional, not outstanding, just plain good. He had a reputation of being a by-the-book kind of officer and Janeway wondered what he would do in a situation where 'the book' hadn't outlined a procedure.  
  
"He'll be a problem," she heard him say and decided to listen.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Lt. Tom Paris," he said in a tone that was almost disgust.  
  
"You have something against him?" It was more of a statement than a question.  
  
"He's reckless, and irresponsible and he can't be trusted!" Cavit pointed out what he thought was obvious. There were many officers who would agree with Cavit but others like Janeway saw something different.  
  
She had met Tom a few times and read his file and the conclusion she had come to was different than most but more accurate. Tom would not take orders from someone he didn't respect or feel was a strong leader. He was the type of person who would take command of a situation if he thought the person in charge was not fulfilling their duties. And most of all Tom Paris could not be held down. He was the epitome of a free spirit and because of it he was never truly comfortable under the strict regulations which living on a Starfleet vessel entailed.  
  
"He's not that bad. He may disregard orders sometimes, but with due cause," she defended. She knew being his commanding officer would not be easy but she was up for the challenge. If she could earn his respect she would have his trust and loyalty as well. She looked at her executive officer –Tom Paris was a challenge he wasn't ready for.  
  
  
  
"Gentlemen, welcome aboard Voyager," Janeway greeted Lt. Paris and her head of Operations, Ensign Kim.  
  
"Thank you Sir," was the ensign's crisp response. Janeway glanced at Paris who was looking curiously at the young ensign. Kim was greener than Paris had thought.  
  
"Mr. Kim, at ease before you sprain something," she said and the young officer was unsure how to respond. Thankfully he didn't have to as Captain Janeway instructed him to call her 'Captain' and not 'Sir'. Janeway showed her new officers to the bridge. She introduced them to the first officer who was noticeably less genial when he shook Paris' hand. Tom noticed Cavit's attitude towards him and knew right then he and the Commander would not get along. Taking their rightful positions –Kim at Ops and Paris at the helm –Voyager pulled away from DS9 and jumped to warp; destination: the Badlands. In less then two days Tom would be reunited with old acquaintances and a huge blast from the past, a past he had left behind when Takara died.  
  
  
  
The next day, when Tom entered the mess hall to get his lunch, he spied Commander Cavit and the Dr. Fitzgerald talking to Harry -most likely warning the ensign about Tom and his 'reckless' behaviour. Tom was surprised when Harry remained his friend despite the warnings and had come to respect the young man more.  
  
Routine reigned and the crew went about their business until arriving in the badlands when everything changed. After being scanned by an unknown object a displacement wave quickly approached and nothing Tom did at the helm and nothing the others tried had any effect on it.  
  
The displacement wave soon over came them and the ship was thrown into chaos. As the wave hit, several conduits overloaded and consoles exploded including the helm. A few seconds before the helm erupted in sparks Tom locked down the controls and tried to get out of the way of the oncoming blast. He had piloted enough experimental vessels to know when the helm was about to overload. Unfortunately the explosion still got him fairly well and he was unconscious before he hit the floor.  
  
  
  
Tom looked around the room the crew was trapped in –four solid walls which looked very much like the holodeck on Voyager. He tried to get up but the pain in his chest thwarted his first attempt. He had been transported from sickbay like much of the crew and his injuries had not been completely treated. His second attempt was met with more success and standing he had a better view of the area. He spotted Harry Kim a few meters away and went towards him noticing the Ensign had a tricorder.  
  
"Any idea where we are?" Tom asked Harry who studied the tricorder readings.  
  
"We've transported less than one hundred kilometres. We're on the array," Harry said forgetting Tom had not been on the bridge to see the massive structure and filled him in on everything he knew. They had been thrown two-thirds of the way across the galaxy to the Delta Quadrant. Hanging in front of the Voyager had been a massive structure rotating and sending energy bursts to some far off destination. The 'array' had what looked like weapons burns all over the surface and some of the large plates protruding from the structure had been partially or completely destroyed. The array had come under attack several times but they didn't know by whom.  
  
"Lieutenant, Ensign," Tom and Harry turned and saw Captain Janeway coming over to what was left of her senior staff. "I don't suppose you've found a way out of here?" she said as she looked around surveying the rest of her crew. She noticed some of her crew caring for those who were injured and as her gaze swept around she noticed the injuries of her chief helmsman.  
  
"It looks worse than it is," Tom said before Janeway had a chance to speak.  
  
"Captain, I'm detecting some strange readings," Tom and Kathryn turned their attention to Harry. "There's some unstable matter near here, which would suggest a holographic projector but I can't locate the source."  
  
"Is it coming from the walls?" Tom asked. Though they looked solid it could easily be a projection.  
  
"Not all of the walls, possibly a part –but it may be covering an exit," Harry suggested.  
  
"Split up into teams and look around," Janeway ordered. She knew Kim was straight from the academy and his optimism was welcomed in the situation.  
  
Some of the able bodied members of the crew teamed up and began searching every meter of the wall looking for a holographic projector, an exit or anything that could help them. Tom and Harry searched together and found the holographic wall. After calling the Captain they tried many times to disrupt the projection but nothing worked.  
  
Suddenly an old, human-looking woman appeared before them armed with a pitchfork. She was a holographic projection but looked unstable. Every so often her matrix would destabilize. She warned them to stay away from there but when Janeway demanded answers to her questions the woman became angry and disappeared.  
  
The wall in front of them vanished revealing a long room with several bodies laying on their backs with synthetic covers over them. "Human, Bajoran, Vulcan, Klingon, Bolian…" Ensign Kim read off the list of species. These people were obviously from the Alpha Quadrant but before they could draw any more conclusions a bright light engulfed them.  
  
They woke up on Voyager in the same places they had been before transport to the array. Tom in sickbay, Kathryn in engineering, but someone was missing. Tom left for the bridge as soon as he determined that someone was Harry and told Janeway. Once on the bridge they discovered the Maquis ship had powered their engines and was ready to make a getaway but Janeway hailed the Maquis Captain. He to stayed around willing to offer their help to find the missing Starfleet officer as well and their own missing engineer.  
  
When Tom arrived on the bridge the transporter beam was just depositing three Maquis officers in the mid level of the bridge. They had their weapons raised but after assurances from the captain they lowered them. Tom went to stand next to Janeway and got a good look at the Maquis Captain. //Chakotay?// Tom thought as he remembered the Starfleet ensign who had interfered with his mission and probably saved his life all those years ago. Shock did not appear on Tom's face unlike it did on Chakotay's when they found out Tuvok had been a Starfleet spy.  
  
After initial tensions had eased Janeway formulated a plan and with the co-operation of the Maquis it would work. They went to the nearest weapons locker to arm themselves before they went back to the array. It was most likely the Maquis Engineer and Ensign Kim would be there. While they were arming themselves Chakotay glanced at Paris a few time feeling a sense of déjà vu.  
  
"Have we met?" Chakotay asked as they left the weapons locker for the transporter room.  
  
"We have," Tom said but was too busy checking over his rifle to say anymore. They walked to the transporter room and stood on the pads waiting for transport. Tom felt Chakotay looking at him and looked over. Their eyes locked and suddenly Chakotay remembered where he had seen this man before but he had been a mere boy at the time of their first encounter.  
  
"Thomas?" Chakotay said half a second before they were transported to the array.  
  
The group was tranpsorted back to Voyager from the array when Chakotay, Paris and Janeway encountered an old man in a barely working holographic environment, playing the banjo. He had not given them much information but had rambled on about having enough time and needing to repay a debt.  
  
Through the rest of the day and night the crew worked to get the ship's systems up and running. They were heading for the planet where the energy bursts were aimed. The missing crewmembers may have been transported there. It was a long shot but they had no other options to explore.  
  
On the way there they encountered a small freighter with an eccentric man named Neelix living aboard. He offered to help them in exchange for a much-needed substance, water. He was able to give them some information about the area and about the planet they were heading to.  
  
On the planet they met with a group of people called the Kazon. After the initial hostilities had abated somewhat they where able to trade water for an Ocampan female named Kes. Kes however was not the only person they acquired during the trip.  
  
When Neelix shot a hole in each of the large water containers the group of Kazon scrambled to get to the precious liquid spilling out. In the chaos Neelix managed to get to Kes but she was unwilling to leave without another person who was also being held captive with her. Tom and Chakotay quickly rounded the corner where Kes had come from and a few meters away was another old friend of Tom's.  
  
"Murphy!" Tom dropped to his knees to look at the dark man's injuries. Blood trickled from his eyes and his breathing was laboured but he was still alive.  
  
"You know him?" Chakotay asked. Tom only nodded and draped one of Murphy's arms over his shoulder. Chakotay did the same and they joined the rest of the group carrying the other man between them.  
  
"Seven to beam up!" Janeway said as she tapped her commbadge and the group vanished.  
  
  
  
Back on Voyager the two injured people where taken to Sickbay to have their injuries treated. Most of Kes' injuries where superficial but Murphy was not so lucky. His optic nerves had been severely damaged and despite the EMH's skill he could not save all of Murphy's sight, losing over eighty percent.  
  
Tuvok reprimanded Neelix for putting the team at risk but Kes offered her assistance to get their people. She led them to the Ocampan settlement. The captain was getting ready to leave with the others when she noticed Tom was standing at the side of the other man the holographic Doctor was working on.  
  
"Tom," Janeway approached and looked at the unconscious man on the biobed. "Do you know him?"  
  
"From a long time ago," Tom said before he headed towards the doors.  
  
  
  
"So what's her name?" Tom asked Chakotay.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Your engineer. If I'm going to look for her I should at least know what to call her," Tom said as the group led by Kes travelled to the subterranean city.  
  
"B'Elanna," Chakotay told him.  
  
"B'Elanna Torres?" Tom paused for a moment.  
  
"Yes. You know her?"  
  
"I used to."  
  
  
  
The Starfleet officers, the Maquis and the Delta Quadrant aliens, Kes and Neelix made it back to Voyager though not without some difficulties. Chakotay had broken his leg but Tom had managed to save him from falling to his death as the stairs collapsed behind them.  
  
Voyager headed back to the array along with the Maquis vessel hoping to find a way to get home. They had a short trip back to the array and Tom went to Sickbay to check on Murphy. When he arrived Murphy was awake and asking the Doctor questions about what was going on, none of which the Doctor could answer.  
  
"Can I speak to your patient, Doctor?" Tom asked.  
  
"Of course," The doctor stated and waited for the two men to begin talking.  
  
Tom sighed. "Computer, deactivate EMH program," and the Doctor fizzled out of existence.  
  
"A hologram?" Murphy said, slightly surprised.  
  
"How did you get here?" Tom asked quickly.  
  
"Apparently you brought me here, at least that's what Doctor…." He tried to recall what the doctor's name was.  
  
"Just 'Doctor'. He doesn't have a name yet," Tom told him. "How did you end up in the Delta Quadrant?" Tom clarified his earlier question.  
  
Murphy looked at the man he thought was Thomas but he couldn't be sure since his eyesight was so bad. He had recognized the voice of Thomas but he regretted not being able to see clearly the man he had grown to be. "We were doing a job and ended up in the badlands hoping to take a shortcut to our rendezvous point. Unfortunately we never made it there. A displacement wave hit us and tossed us out here. I'm not sure exactly what happened after that. I was injured on the way over and was left in the care of the Kazon while Douglas worked with the rest of the sect. Before you ask, I don't know what they've been doing." He waited for Tom to say something but there was only silence. "Is there anything else?"  
  
"Why didn't you leave?" Tom asked the question which had been plaguing him since they had first found Murphy.  
  
"Where was I supposed to go?" Murphy asked. He hadn't changed that much, Tom noted. Murphy had always been a fairly bitter person. "I didn't have a family to go back to."  
  
"I didn't know I had one either," Tom said with a touch of anger. Murphy had helped with Tom's care during the early years on the ship and Tom had trusted him. It had not been easy for him to discover the people he had trusted lied to him since the beginning and Tom didn't know if he could ever forgive them for taking him from his family and lying to him.  
  
Murphy had the decency to look away in shame. "I'm so sorry." He said quietly.  
  
'Lt. Paris, report to the bridge,' Captain Janeway ordered over the comm line.  
  
"Lieutenant," Murphy repeated. "You've done well for yourself."  
  
"You've been keeping an eye on me," Tom stated more than asked.  
  
"Had to make sure you weren't going to turn on us," Murphy justified.  
  
"I gave you my word." Tom said and started to leave. "And I never went back on it."  
  
"You always wanted to play the hero," Murphy reminisced. "You'll have to make a choice sooner or later," Murphy stated and Tom stopped in his tracks. "Them or us."  
  
"Them," Tom said, referring to the crew of Voyager. He walked to the door "Activate EMH program," and the Doctor reappeared. "Take good care of him, Doc." Tom said and walked out of Sickbay. "He was a friend once." He headed for the bridge.  
  
  
  
When they arrived at the array it was under attack by Kazon ships and one other, unknown, vessel. Tom was the only one who recognized it.  
  
With weapons powered Voyager and the Liberty approached the array. The Kazon warned Voyager not to board the array but Janeway was not easily swayed by threats. She and Tuvok were ready to go when Tom joined them. "Lt. Paris, I need you on the bridge," Janeway ordered.  
  
"You'll need me when you get on the array,"  
  
"What do you mean?" she wasn't interested in playing any guessing games at the moment.  
  
"The unidentified ship. I know who it belongs to," Tom said.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Very. I lived there for ten years,"  
  
The array vibrated as the Kazon ships and the one under Douglas' command fired trying to weaken it. Tuvok went for the central processor while Tom accompanied Janeway as she looked for the entity called the caretaker. Janeway talked with the old man for a while and he explained what had happened and why he had taken care of the Ocampa for so long.  
  
Without warning the array shook violently as a damaged Kazon ship collided with it. The last bit of the holographic projection vanished and the true interior of the structure was seen as was the true form of the Caretaker.  
  
The Caretaker babbled as it shrank that the Kazon could not gain control of the station. Finally the entity shrunk until only what looked like a rock was left. Janeway and Tuvok talked for a short time over the implications of their next action but Tom had noticed something on his tricorder scan followed it.  
  
He followed the signal, which as he approached, could be identified as a lifesign, a part human lifesign. Following it brought Tom to the central processor where Tuvok had been only a few minutes prior. There was a man working at a console and Tom knew who it was. "Douglas."  
  
The man turned around and Tom saw the face of Takara's killer again. "Thomas?" The man said after a short pause. He looked at the uniform Tom wore. "It doesn't suit you," Douglas turned his back to Tom and went back to what he was doing.  
  
"Step away from the console," Tom ordered as he aimed the rifle at Douglas' back. He wanted to pull the trigger but he couldn't. Douglas however didn't know that and stepped away from the console but not before he picked up his memory units. Tom kept his phaser on Douglas and approached the console. There was a schematic of a device which created a displacement wave on the screen. "What are you planning?" Tom asked Douglas.  
  
"Oh come now, Thomas. You can figure it out. Do you really think your Captain will use the program to get home and leave this here to the Kazon,"  
  
"She'll destroy it," Tom was sure.  
  
"Exactly and when she does I don't intend on being stranded out here," Douglas said and pulled out a phaser of his own.  
  
"You're working with the Kazon aren't you?"  
  
"Always were a sharp one," Douglas deadpanned.  
  
"I won't let you take that information," Tom stated.  
  
"You can't stop me." Douglas pressed the button on his weapon and Tom moved away just in time to avoid the blast. He squeezed he trigger on the rifle and his shot hit the mark. Douglas fell backwards but was not unconscious. Tom walked up to him and still had his weapon trained on the fallen man. Tom looked at Douglas carefully. He seemed to have only aged about five years and Tom hypothesised the slow aging was due to the mixed genome.  
  
"Lower the weapon, Thomas," a familiar voice said from behind and Tom turned to see Vaiyer with a weapon aimed at him. Tom stepped away from Douglas and lowered his weapon. Vaiyer disarmed Tom before helping Douglas stand up.  
  
"You lose, Thomas," Douglas said as he raised his weapon and aimed it square at Tom. "I should have done this twenty years ago," but before he could press the button another phaser discharged and hit Douglas in his arm making him drop the weapon. Vaiyer aimed his weapon at Murphy who leaned heavily on the wall near the entrance to the room and fired. Tom went after Vaiyer but was not fast enough to prevent the single shot which hit Murphy.  
  
With ease, he subdued Vaiyer just as an arm wrapped around his neck from behind. Tom elbowed his attacker, Douglas, in the ribs and threw him but not before picking his pocket. Douglas was up in and instant and took out some small devices, which he threw in Tom's direction.  
  
Tom knew what they were and ran from them just as they exploded causing an inferno in the small room. Through the wall of flames Tom saw Douglas helping Vaiyer up and making calling for transport. Tom approached Murphy who was struggling to stand.  
  
"I don't need your help," Murphy ground out as he saw Tom approaching. Tom stopped and instead went to the console to check the status of the array. The self-destruct sequence was still offline but could be manually carried out.  
  
"Lieutenant!" Tom saw Janeway and Tuvok coming towards him.  
  
"Captain we need to destroy the array."  
  
"Agreed but most of Voyager's weapons are offline and phasers won't be enough," she said and they all understood the implications of the statement. Somebody would have to stay behind to destroy the array.  
  
"I'll do it," Tom volunteered.  
  
"No." Janeway and Murphy said simultaneously.  
  
"I'll do it," Murphy continued. He saw Tom was going to protest but cut him off. "I'm nearly blind, Thomas. Not even your doctor could repair the damage to my eyes. I've been like this since we arrived in this awful quadrant and I'm tired of it." Tom was silent knowing when Murphy made up his mind about something he could not be persuaded otherwise.  
  
Tuvok informed them they should leave and Janeway nodded. She placed a hand on Murphy's shoulder and quietly thanked him before moving away. Tom hadn't moved an inch. "Get going, Thomas. I'll blow this place whether you're on it or not." Tom looked into the dark eyes and saw the determination so he walked away.  
  
"Janeway to Voyager, three to beam up," she said as Tom joined her and Tuvok, still looking at Murphy. They vanished and a few seconds after they got back to the ship and started moving away the array exploded in a blinding display. Murphy was dead and the crew of Voyager and the Liberty where stranded 75, 000 light-years from home.  
  
  
  
A few days later things where settling down. The Maquis were integrating into the crew, repairs were underway and Neelix and Kes were helping out wherever they could. Tom was in the Captain's Ready room standing at attention. It was rather late but they had all been busy with their responsibilities.  
  
"At ease, Lieutenant." Tom relaxed out of his stance but Janeway could still see the tension in his shoulders and dullness in his usually sparkling blue eyes. "Tom, are you alright,"  
  
"Yes Captain," Tom said formally and without making eye contact.  
  
Kathryn walked around her desk to stand in front of him but he still avoided her gaze. "They were the ones who abducted you weren't they?" Janeway said and Tom nodded after a moment.  
  
"But they were more than that." He finally looked at her. "For a long time they were the only 'family' I had."  
  
"The man on the array-"  
  
"Murphy," Tom supplied.  
  
"He was a friend?"  
  
"Yes, sort of. I never actually figured him out." He looked down at his feet. "I wish he had taken my advice."  
  
"What did you tell him?" Janeway asked.  
  
"In the message I gave him when I left, I told him he didn't belong there," Tom said quietly. The sadness in his voice was unmistakable as Tom remembered the other person who didn't belong there but when she had tried to leave she was murdered. "It was the same thing he told me the day I left."  
  
"I'm sorry, Tom." Janeway put a hand on his shoulder and after a moment Tom composed himself and shrugged.  
  
"The others are still out there and they're with the Kazon. That's a recipe for trouble but I have something they need." Tom changed the subject. He pulled out a memory unit. "This is half of the schematic to the displacement device the Caretaker used to bring us out here," Janeway looked at the unit in hope. "It's only half though. Douglas has the other half."  
  
"Douglas?" Janeway looked up at him.  
  
"My….first captain," Tom said. "This information is on how to get the device itself but it's useless without the schematic for the platform which stabilizes it."  
  
"How did you get this?"  
  
"Douglas had it but I picked his pocket," Tom said smugly and Janeway looked at him curiously for a moment.  
  
"I suppose we'll have to work with them to get home then unless we can find the Caretaker's companion," Janeway spoke as he put the memory unit on her desk. She looked back to Tom and could tell he didn't want to have to work with Douglas but they didn't have a choice.  
  
She couldn't imagine what type of memories all this was bringing back to him. Nobody really knew much of what Tom had experienced when he lived as a rogue; he never spoke of it and people didn't ask, afraid they would pry into matters that were none of their business. Whatever those memories and experiences were they still affected him since there had been no conclusion –no ending to that chapter in his life. Those loose ends had been hanging over him like a cloud of doom just waiting for the right or wrong time to strike.  
  
  
  
In his quarters Tom stripped out of his uniform and went to take a shower. It had been a long day but there was still a glimmer of hope on the horizon. They could make the device to get them home but Tom was not looking forward to working with Douglas, Vaiyer and Mec. There was too much history and friction there. He had wanted to leave it behind but he could never really escape –never really forget.  
  
He looked in the mirror and removed the headband exposing the scar he still bore from long ago. He traced the crooked lines. He knew it could be removed and his family and friends had suggested he get it removed but he could not bring himself to get it done. The scar was a reminder. He didn't want to forget what had happened to him, he didn't want to forget Takara or the good times he had with her and he didn't want to forget the lessons he had learnt then.  
  
He didn't think he'd ever truly be free from those ten years when his childhood had been cut far too short and where he learnt and saw things he didn't think anybody was really ever ready to see. He would never forget and the scar made sure, but with it there he could never move on.  
  
End Part 6: Past Enoucnters  
  
Part 7: Shades of Grey coming soon…  
  
Comments and stuff to zappyzaps@hotmail.com please! Thanx!  
  
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2 V V 


	8. Part 7: Shades of Grey

1 And This Is His Story 7  
  
By Zappy Zaps  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Thanks again to Brigid for putting up with me and beta-reading my stories!  
  
1.1  
  
Part 7: Shades of Grey  
  
The tension in the room reached every corner and each person felt it. This situation had been fairly regular lately but no matter how many times it happened nobody could get used to it. Captain Janeway's words were only a droning sound in the background as most of the attention was directed at Lt. Paris and the guest they had come to know as Douglas. Even Janeway only had half of her mind on what she was saying.  
  
The assembled group observed the dynamics between Tom and Douglas. Every time they held a meeting like this one, where they would try to co- ordinate their efforts in getting what they needed to create the Caretaker's device, Tom was always on edge and Douglas was the same way. They waited for the fight, which seemed to be inevitable, but like all the other meetings it didn't happen.  
  
The meeting concluded and Douglas was escorted to the transporter room to beam back to the Kazon ship which waited patiently for his return. Tom was with the security officers who escorted Douglas to the transporter room. He knew how dangerous the man was and had been working with Tuvok and security to keep Voyager and her crew safe.  
  
"Well, we've collected almost everything," Captain Janeway said to the rest of her officers.  
  
****************  
  
Creating the caretaker's displacement device had been more difficult than anticipated. Many of the components could not be replicated. Creating the device became like a scavenger hunt with two teams working towards the same goal but each with only half of the list.  
  
The crew of Voyager had stuck with the Starfleet way of doing things but the Kazon and Douglas' crew were held by no such restrictions. They would steal the items they needed from whoever had them and with the technology from other ships the Kazon had more power in the quadrant than ever before.  
  
Janeway had no other option than to seek an alliance with the Kazon. Since Douglas had the other half of the schematic it made sense for them to work in tandem with each other. So far there had been no problems but the true test was yet to come.  
  
They needed three more small components which could be obtained at a nearby star system. After they had those the device would be finished. Currently the device was in Voyager's shuttle bay where it was nearly completely assembled. Only the platform and a few components were missing. Voyager's crew were fairly certain it would work. The holodeck simulations were promising but they were still only simulations –this technology was new to them and the theory behind the device could barely be understood, but still, they hoped.  
  
It had taken them over two years to piece it together and between fighting off the Kazon sects that were not allied with Voyager and Vidians and saving the ship from various spatial anomalies they were left with little time and energy to work on this project. They had met more than their fair share of setbacks. Seska was found to be a Cardassian spy and had left the ship to join Douglas' team and the Kazon. With the help of Jonas they had nearly taken over the ship but their attempt had been thwarted and neither Jonas nor Seska survived. Lon Suder also died during the battle.  
  
Times had been bad but they had always pulled through and never sunk to the level of their 'partners'. Douglas had no qualms about stealing what was needed or killing those who didn't give it to them. Tom had expressed his disapproval of the alliance since the beginning but had never disobeyed any of Janeway's orders. Tom may never having said it to her and Janeweay may not have known it, but Tom had a deep respect for his captain.  
  
Another woman Tom deeply respected was the chief engineer, Lt. B'Elanna Torres. They had known each other in the academy but Tom had not been interested in a romantic relationship at the time. Now, however, was a different story. B'Elanna absolutely fascinated him. She was a mystery he was willing to devote his whole life to solving. They had started a relationship early in the journey and it had lasted through the fights, the secrets and through the near death experiences.  
  
*****************  
  
The meeting ended quickly and quietly. The officers filed out and returned to their stations as they waited to reach their destination. Tom had returned to the bridge and was seated at the helm once again. Janeway could tell something was bothering him and reminded herself to ask him about it later.  
  
  
  
The trade had gone smoothly and Voyager was now equipped with everything they needed to get home except one component. A rare substance, found on only a handful of planets in small amounts, could not be obtained. The price for it had been too high. Voyager would not be able to function without the warp core, the only thing the merchant with the substance had been willing to trade for.  
  
They had returned to the ship without the element and were ready to look somewhere else for it despite the odds but Douglas had his own ideas.  
  
"Kim to Janeway, we're being hailed by the Kazon," Harry said over the comm. line. Janeway and Chakotay looked at each other and left the ready room for the bridge. She noticed Tom wasn't at his station and wondered where he could be.  
  
"On screen," Janeway said as she stood in the center of the bridge. The screen changed and showed the bridge of the other ship. Douglas stood in the center next to Jabin the leader of the Kazon Olga. At the back they could see Tom being restrained by Vaiyer and Mec.  
  
"Captain Janeway, we've acquired the substance," Jabin said.  
  
"What are you doing with my officer?" Janeway asked angrily.  
  
"We required Thomas' expertise in getting what we wanted," Douglas answered, not caring in the least he had just abducted Janeway's helm officer. "He wouldn't cooperate though," Douglas looked back at Tom who glared at him. "It's a shame really. Starfleet ruined him. He had such potential." He looked back at Janeway and could tell she was fuming. How had he been able to snatch Tom away from under their noses? "Don't worry though, I'll return him to you. He's as useless now, as he was back then." The screen went black and a moment later Tom appeared on the bridge. Douglas had installed transporters on the Kazon ship as well as most of the other components of his original ship, including replicators and weapons.  
  
"Lieutenant, are you alright?"  
  
"Better than alright," Tom said smiling and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a vial of a liquid-metal substance. It was the component they needed to get the displacement device to work.  
  
"I thought you didn't help them," Chakotay said. Tom gave a sly look.  
  
"I didn't."  
  
"Let me guess. You stole it from him, again," Janeway said quietly so the rest of the bridge could not hear them.  
  
"There's no honour among thieves," Tom quoted.  
  
Janeway held the small vial in her hands wondering how much blood had been shed to get it. How could they justify using this substance knowing it had been wrongfully acquired? Working with the Kazon had tested and strained the limits of Starfleet protocol and the ethics of her officers. Nothing was ever good or bad anymore; there was no clear boundary separating what was acceptable and what wasn't. Black and white had blended together leaving only shades of grey.  
  
"I wonder how long it'll be until he realizes he's missing something," Chakotay speculated.  
  
"That's the best part. I switched this vial for a different one. He won't know the other one is a fake until he tries to test it in the device, which he can't do since he only has half of it. He'll never know."  
  
Janeway and Chakotay just looked at him. Tom Paris was a Starfleet officer but just barely.  
  
Chakotay could see the boy he had met in the man he knew now and as far as Chakotay could tell he hadn't changed much. Sure he'd aged and learnt new things but he was still the little boy. Either Tom hadn't grown up or the child he had met had been forced to be an adult so early there had not been much growing-up left to be done.  
  
  
  
Tom was in the mess hall with Chakotay and B'Elanna talking about the displacement device. The only thing left to do now was the testing but to do that they had to make an agreement with Douglas.  
  
"It won't work," Tom said as he stabbed a vegetable with his fork.  
  
"It'll work. The simulations-" B'Elanna started but Tom interrupted.  
  
"I mean the alliance with Douglas."  
  
"What makes you so sure?" Chakotay asked him and Tom looked into his eyes.  
  
"Douglas won't trade or make a deal for something he thinks he can steal," Tom said and was certain of the statement. Douglas had trained him to know just that; if you can steal it then don't waste time and energy asking for it.  
  
"Maybe he's changed," B'Elanna suggested. She didn't know a lot about Douglas or the others who had kidnapped Tom since he didn't talk about it but Chakotay had seen it first hand. He had only caught a glimpse of how Douglas treated Tom but instincts told him the boy's life had been grim.  
  
"People like him don't change. They get better at what they do or they get worse but they never change," Tom said in all certainty.  
  
Tom Paris wasn't afraid of much. Death and danger didn't deter him but one person who Chakotay knew the one person who scared Tom was Douglas. Every time Douglas entered the same room as Tom he could see the tension in the set of his shoulders, he could see the fear in Tom's eyes, which he tried so hard to hide. It wasn't the man who was afraid of Douglas; it was the small child who had grown up fearing that man. Even with the new experiences and new knowledge Tom had gained, when he saw Douglas the emotions he felt were not the ones being produced by the moment but the ones produced by the memories.  
  
The emotions he felt could be examined by the adult and Tom could understand why he shouldn't fear Douglas but no matter how many times his feelings were analyzed he could not rid himself of them. They could not be changed and the fear remained.  
  
  
  
The day finally came when they could no longer put off the furthering the alliance with the Kazon. They needed the platform, which was essential for the correct functioning of the device. Janeway, Tuvok and Chakotay met with Jabin, Douglas and Vaiyer. Tom was not pleased at being left out but he didn't say anything. They agreed to assemble the device on Voyager but there must be someone from the Kazon Olga there at all times. Janeway had agreed and the meeting had concluded.  
  
"Tuvok, I want you to work with Lt. Paris on increasing security when our guests are on board," Janeway said to Tuvok once the room had been cleared.  
  
The partnership progressed and during the final assembly of the device there had been no problems. Tom was part of the security detail in the shuttle bay whenever Douglas, Vaiyer or Mec were present. The Kazon, Tuvok and his security team could handle, but those three required special attention. Currently Tom was in the shuttle bay keeping a close eye on Vaiyer and Mec. They were helping the engineers put the two pieces together.  
  
"Is everything alright?" Tom turned around when he heard Captain Janeway's voice.  
  
"Fine," Tom answered curtly. Kathryn knew Tom's attitude was not directed at her.  
  
"It'll work out Tom," Janeway put a hand on his shoulder offering whatever comfort she could. She knew Tom was worried Douglas would try to steal the device somehow but so far nothing odd had happened.  
  
Tom didn't respond to her. He knew Douglas would try something.  
  
  
  
Humming to himself Harry Kim approached the entrance to holodeck two. He had checked with the computer finding Tom inside, and since there was no privacy lock in place he decided to pay a visit. The interior of the holodeck was the gym he recognized from seeing it many times before.  
  
Walking past a beam and a set of bars Harry saw Tom on the matted floor doing some tumbling. When he finished the last sequence he noticed Harry.  
  
"What's up, Har?" Tom asked casually.  
  
"Just wondering where you had hidden yourself," Harry plainly replied.  
  
"Well you found me." Tom's tone wasn't very friendly but Harry ignored it knowing Tom was under a lot of stress. Tom had come here hoping to release some pent up energy.  
  
"It'll be over soon, and we'll be home again," Harry informed him. Tom stayed silent not wanting to dash Harry's hopes with his scepticism.  
  
Silently they left the holodeck each busy with their own thoughts. Harry looked at Tom, wondering what was going through his head. He didn't quite understand Tom and what made him tick but then again nobody really did. He could be the life of the party one minute and the next, he could fade into the crowd and you'd never notice. It's how he grew up. Not to be recognized twice; not to be memorable; to be as subtle déjà vu as and dismissed just as quickly.  
  
Soon the device was completely assembled and the testing began. Displacement waves were created and probes were sent in the direction of the Alpha Quadrant. They had to make sure they had made the device correctly and that they could control its power. At the press of a button a silver wave of energy left the relatively small structure. They didn't find any debris from the probes and they hoped the devices had made it all the way to the Alpha Quadrant. They lost contact with the probes a few seconds after the displacement wave hit them and they moved out of comm. range. All the tests were successful so all they had to do now was to reconfigure the device to send larger objects.  
  
B'Elanna and her team were looking over the device after it had been tractored back into the shuttle bay. Carefully every component was scanned and any damage was recorded. During the process one of the engineers found something on the device that shouldn't be there and immediately called Lt. Torres to take a look.  
  
"Torres to Janeway," B'Elanna called as she tapped her commbadge.  
  
"Janeway here, go ahead B'Elanna."  
  
"Tom was right Captain," she sighed. "We have a problem."  
  
"Janeway to Paris."  
  
"Go ahead, Captain," Tom answered.  
  
"Go to the shuttle bay and take a look at the object the Engineering team found. It seems the Kazon put a surprise on it for us."  
  
"Aye Captain. I'm on my way."  
  
In the shuttle bay Tuvok was already talking with B'Elanna. The small object had been securely fastened to the plating of the device. If they tried to remove it they would ruin the device and years of hard work would be lost.  
  
Tom took one look at the small object and knew exactly what it was. He sighed knowing Douglas would do something like this.  
  
"It's an explosive of some kind," Tuvok stated to Tom. Tom just nodded his agreement. "It can not be removed."  
  
"I know," Tom said as he crouched down to look at the object. "It has a timer and a receiver." Tom said as he looked at its components.  
  
"Meaning?" B'Elanna asked.  
  
"There are two ways it can be detonated; manually with a remote control or using a timer count down."  
  
"We could try disarming it-"  
  
"Not possible. This thing has more fail safes than the warp core."  
  
"You've seen one of these before?" Tuvok inferred.  
  
"I used to help build them." Tom sighed knowing there were not a lot of options available to them.  
  
The briefing room was filled again with the senior staff listening while Tuvok reported what he and Lt. Paris had found. The explosive wasn't large but it was big enough to destroy the displacement device. As far as Tuvok could tell it couldn't be disarmed.  
  
"Are you sure?" Chakotay asked Tuvok but it was Tom who answered.  
  
"You can't safely disarm this device," Tom stated and no one bothered to ask how he knew. "You can't even remove the outside covering without running the risk of triggering the explosive."  
  
"What alternatives do we have?" the Captain asked.  
  
"The device has a timer but it hasn't been activated, yet, and there's also a receiver which means it can be detonated at any instant with the push of a button. No doubt Douglas left us this little present," Tom said and his thoughts drifted towards Douglas and what he would do if he ever got his hands on the other man. He shook himself from his angry thoughts. "As for alternatives, I have a plan which…might work. We need to contact Douglas and the Kazon."  
  
"Captain Janeway, what can I do for you?" Douglas greeted them.  
  
"I'm sure you already know," she replied tersely.  
  
"Ah, yes, our little surprise. Well we needed a hostage," Douglas said smiling.  
  
"What are your demands?" Janeway asked, already tired of this man's attitude.  
  
"My Kazon friends were worried that you would try to destroy the displacement device or the technology I gave them when you leave this quadrant and you also have a few things they want."  
  
"Their terms –what are yours?" Tom interrupted knowing there was more to this. Douglas wouldn't have gone through the trouble of installing the explosive simply as a favour to the Kazon.  
  
"When we get back to the Alpha Quadrant, myself, Mec and Vaiyer will be free to go and acquitted of all our crimes. We also want two of your shuttles and a supply of weapons."  
  
"We can't give you that," Janeway informed him.  
  
"You don't have much of a choice." He raised his left hand and everybody on the bridge could see he was holding a transmitter with a few keys on it. "I'll give you thirty minutes to think it over." Douglas said as he tapped in a few commands.  
  
"We don't need thirty minutes," Tom said and pressing a button on the helm controls he terminated the link and the screen went black. He turned to the Captain. "That's all I need." He got up from the helm and with Tuvok on his heels, entered the turbolift.  
  
"You have yet to disclose what it is you are planning."  
  
"Don't worry, Tuvok," Tom said absently as he scanned the explosive with a tricorder.  
  
"Vulcans do not worry."  
  
Tom looked up at Tuvok from where he was crouched on the floor. "Sure they don't," scepticism dripped from his voice.  
  
"Your plan?"  
  
"Will work!" Tom said in triumph and clapped his hands together. For the last ten minutes Tuvok and Tom had been working on getting into the programming of the detonator. Tom had finally managed to get into the timer's programming and now he could put into motion the next part of his plan. He hadn't told them what it was, asking them only to trust him. He knew the Captain would not readily agree with his plan but with the explosive armed Douglas poised to detonated it she wouldn't have much of a choice. "I can't disarm the device, that wasn't part of my plan, but I can change the timer and lock it down."  
  
"What will that achieve?" Tuvok questioned.  
  
"It'll give us enough time to use the device and get out of here."  
  
"Douglas still has the remote detonator." Tuvok reminded him.  
  
"I know. I need to get over to the Kazon ship and get the control from him," Tom said.  
  
"That course of action would be extremely risky."  
  
"I know, that's why I didn't tell you until now."  
  
  
  
He walked confidently through the hall of the Kazon ship occasionally hiding in an alcove to avoid being seen. He knew where Douglas was and he knew how to get there from where he had beamed in. Passing through another set of doors Tom was getting closer to his destination. He hoped Voyager was ready.  
  
End Part 7: Shades of Grey  
  
Coming…later….  
  
Part 8: Event Horizon  
  
Part 9: Final Stand  
  
Epilogue  
  
(Actually, I have them written I just need to revise them!!)  
  
leave a review pleas!! Or email me! zappyzaps@hotmail.com 


	9. Part 8: Event Horizon

1 And This Is His Story 8  
  
By Zappy Zaps  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
1.1  
  
Part 8: Event Horizon  
  
Voyager's corridors were a blur of activity. Replacing relays, repairing the most minor damage, all to put Voyager in its best shape. They would need everything functioning at peak efficiency if they wanted to survive another ride on a displacement wave. The chance to get home created a happy undertone among the crew leaving almost no face without a smile; only the resident Vulcans and the senior officers were the exceptions.  
  
The Captain had contacted Douglas and Jabin telling them she would meet their demands in exchange for use of the displacement device. They would require more time however to get everything together and Douglas changed the setting on the timer to give them more time, or so he thought.  
  
The timer function on the explosive had a lockout in place. Only Tom could change the countdown but nobody could stop it. Douglas had no way of knowing this and assumed he was the one in control.  
  
During the transmission to the Kazon, Tom had been inconspicuously beamed to the Kazon ship. He had to get the remote from Douglas. It could still instantaneously detonate the explosive.  
  
On the bridge of Voyager each person was attentive to his or her duties. Chakotay and Kathryn monitored the status of final repairs and Tuvok monitored the Kazon ship looking for any sign of weapons being charged. Harry was at his console trying to concentrate on the display in front of him but found it difficult while worrying about Tom. He looked over to the Engineering station where B'Elanna was working, or trying to, knowing she would be feeling several times worse. Tom was on a hostile vessel, alone with no back up.  
  
She tried to concentrate on the display before her. She was running diagnostics making sure Voyager was ready for the coming trip and coordinating what was going on in main engineering. Closing her eyes she tried to calm herself before she punched a hole through the console. When she opened her eyes again there was a blinking light informing her she had a message. It read: Hang tough, Maquis. He'll be fine. –Starfleet. The corners of her mouth upturned in a slight smile and she took one last calming breath before returning to her work.  
  
  
  
Using every trick he knew and everything at his disposal Tom surreptitiously traversed the corridors of the Kazon ship. He'd been in there for several minutes and hadn't run into any problems. Coming to a computer junction, he implemented the first part of his plan. When he left there was a small device attached to the wall. It had an uplink with the Kazon computer system and upon receiving a signal from him it would initiate one command which would destroy the transporters and replicators aboard the ship.  
  
Tom set up as many of those devices as he could while making his way to Douglas. He had a tricorder with him and used it every few minutes to verify Douglas' location: the bridge. His journey came to an end and a glance at told him he had only a few minutes before his time limit expired.  
  
He was just outside the doors to the bridge but walked past them to his other access point: the Kazon version of a Jefferies tube. Crawling in and replacing the cover he moved until he was at the grating and could see into the bridge. Kazon officers milled about, some performing tasks were idle. There was an air of victory among the Kazon but Tom could see his three old crewmates were not as quick to start celebrating.  
  
Not wasting any more time Tom slowly and carefully opened the grating just enough to drop a few silver spheres. They rolled across the bridge and caught the attention of Mec and a few Kazon officers. While the Kazon were ignorant as to what they were Mec recognized them and yelled for everybody to shield their eyes.  
  
In a blinding burst of light the devices exploded leaving only small burn marks on the floor. Less than a second later several Kazon officers fell to the ground unconscious. Mec, Vaiyer and Douglas where still functional and looked around wondering who was attacking them. Ignoring the light haze left by explosions and the fallen Kazon Vaiyer went to a console and scanned the bridge of the ship knowing what he would find.  
  
"Human lifesign on the bridge," he told them but was unable to give any more information since Kazon sensors were not highly accurate. Douglas surveyed the room with eyes that missed little and noticed the slight opening of the grating to the maintenance shaft. Without a word he took out a disrupter and fired several shots at the grating.  
  
As the smoke cleared, Vaiyer approached and opened it up. After searching inside he looked at Douglas. "Nothing."  
  
Suddenly a precision phaser shot cut across the bridge and hit Douglas' hand, or more specifically, the device he held. The remote sparked and died.  
  
Looking around they still didm't see anybody but they knew who it was. "You can stop hiding now, Thomas," Mec stated, hoping to draw Tom into the open. He received no response but it mattered little. There was a finite number of places he could hide. They would find him sooner or later.  
  
"I can't deactivate the bomb now, Thomas. Good Job. You've sentenced your crew to spend the rest of their lives in the Delta Quadrant." Douglas mocked.  
  
"Don't count on it," Douglas and Mec had to turn around completely to see Tom. He had managed to get around them without being seen.  
  
"You stupid boy!" Douglas said. Tom's face was devoid of reaction and it only infuriated Douglas more. Douglas aimed the disruptor at Thomas who had his weapon out as well but with the numbers against him he was in a weak position.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Tom said as he showed them what was in his other hand. "I'm sure Jabin would be highly disappointed if he lost all the technology you've given him. All I have to do is press this little button and it's all gone."  
  
Jabin and the one other Kazon still standing had been very disoriented for the past minute and understood little of who Tom was and what he was doing. The threat of loosing his hard-earned technology was enough to get the rest of his attention. Jabin leapt into action.  
  
"Lower your weapon!" Jabin yelled at Douglas and hurried towards him. Douglas pulled the trigger but as Jabin collided with him the shot went astray and skinned Tom's right shoulder. Chaos ensued.  
  
Vaiyer retrieved a weapon from the nearby station and aimed it at Tom but Tom saw it coming and fired at Vaiyer. The Kazon officer went to attack Tom but was thwarted by the swift kick to his midsection Tom gave him. Pressing the small button on the device in his hand the command was released into the Kazon system.  
  
The three replicators in the ship started to work spontaneously. The Kazon nearby looked curiously at what was forming for a few seconds but when they heard the soft hum of the replicator turn into a shrill whistle they knew something was wrong and took cover. In a dazzling display of sparks and smoke the replicators overloaded and exploded leaving no salvageable parts behind.  
  
In the transporter room the same thing happened. For reasons unknown to the officers manning the station the transporter suddenly came to life. The shrill sound was heard by them as well only a second before the transporter and it's components burnt to a fine crisp leaving nothing of use behind.  
  
"Get off me!" Douglas yelled at Jabin who was trying to take the weapon from him not knowing Tom had already pressed the button. Mec too, had sprung into action and was now trying to prevent the cascade failure of the ship's systems, which had started when the replicator and transporter overload began.  
  
Tom tapped his commbadge hoping Voyager would get the signal to beam him out.  
  
  
  
"Transport in progress," Harry said.  
  
"Kazon ship has raised shields."  
  
"I'm loosing containment!"  
  
"Abort the transport," Janeway ordered.  
  
"Aborted. He's still on the Kazon ship," Harry told them. "We're being hailed."  
  
"Onscreen," Janeway said and before she had even finished Douglas' face appeared on the screen. Behind him was Mec putting all his effort into restraining Tom and several Kazon bodies littered the ground.  
  
"You deceived us, Captain," Douglas said seeming rather calm. Janeway was going to say something but Douglas continued. "Thanks to your lieutenant here, the displacement device will be destroyed in about ten minutes." Douglas said knowing the time limit he gave them would soon be up.  
  
Tom had planned to be on Voyager by this time manoeuvring Voyager into the right position for the displacement wave to hit the ship. Douglas and the Kazon would think it would be their futile attempt to use the device before it was destroyed not knowing Tom had put a longer countdown on the explosive and given Voyager ample time to use the device to get home.  
  
"Time for plan B, Captain," Tom said and Janeway hesitated before nodding. She closed the link.  
  
"Tuvok, launch the device from the shuttle bay. Ensign Baytart position Voyager. Red alert!"  
  
Baytart paused for a moment not wanting to leave a fellow crewmember with the Kazon but after receiving a glance from the first officer he proceeded.  
  
"Captain-" B'Elanna was about to protest not wanting to leave Tom behind.  
  
"Tuvok, charge phasers and arm the forward torpedo banks; we need to bring the kazon shields down in a hurry," she said ignoring her chief engineer for the moment. "Ensign Kim, prepare to beam Lt. Paris back."  
  
"Aye Captain," Harry said, feeling a huge amount of relief. They had all known what the contingency plan was and in it Tom didn't make it back. They were to use the device and leave without him. At the meeting they had agreed with the plan knowing they didn't have much of a choice and Tom obviously wouldn't have accepted any other answer but Kathryn had amended 'Plan B', so that she wouldn't leave any of her crew behind.  
  
"Fire torpedoes, sierra spread."  
  
  
  
The screen went black and after a moment Douglas turned to face Tom. He walked up to the younger man and stood staring into his eyes. Tom was taller than Douglas now, requiring that Douglas tilt his head up slightly to see Tom's eyes.  
  
"You have been nothing but a thorn in my side since the day we got you."  
  
"You mean the day you abducted me," Tom corrected.  
  
"Well your family didn't want you and now it looks like your crew is leaving without you too. Seems nobody wants you."  
  
"Go to hell," Tom said, knowing Voyager was preparing to use the device.  
  
Suddenly the ship shook violently. "They're firing on us," Mec stated. He forcefully spun Tom around and once facing him, punched him in the stomach causing Tom to double over in pain. Mec left him to go check the sensors. Voyager was firing on them and the shields were failing.  
  
Douglas kicked Tom in the stomach and watched as Tom tried to control the pain and get up. Aiming his weapon at Tom's head his finger moved to the trigger. The ship rocked again and several consoles sparked.  
  
"Shields have failed," Mec announced just as Douglas pulled the trigger.  
  
  
  
"Transport complete," Kim announced.  
  
"Raise shields. Lt. Torres activate the displacement device," the Captain ordered.  
  
"Aye Captain."  
  
"Chakotay to Sickbay, how's Paris?"  
  
"Not here, he left the moment he arrived, though against my wishes." The Doctor huffed. A moment later Tom walked onto the bridge and without a word he went to the helm. "Thank you, Doctor," Chakotay ended.  
  
"We're in position," Tom announced.  
  
"All stations report ready," Tuvok followed.  
  
"Ensign Kim, hail them," Janeway said and a moment later the screen displayed the bridge of the Kazon vessel. "Once we've used the device you should have enough time to take a shuttle and use the device again."  
  
"And what happens once we get back?" Douglas asked.  
  
"I honestly can't say-" Captain Janeway began but was interrupted when Douglas finally lost the grip on his emotions and the air of calm he put forth crumbled.  
  
"I am not going to jail. I'll die before that happens and I'll take you with me!" he yelled looking at Tom. Tom only glared back at him.  
  
"Device is charged and ready," B'Elanna said.  
  
"End transmission," and the link was severed. If Douglas chose to go back to the Alpha Quadrant it was his choice. She wasn't going to promise Douglas any favours to get him out of trouble when they got back.  
  
  
  
"Do we have weapons?" Douglas asked.  
  
"Barely," replied Mec. Douglas moved to a console and open fire on the displacement device. The weakened weapons of the Kazon ship had little effect on the device and Mec and Douglas watched on the view-screen as the chrome wave swept away Voyager and all hands.  
  
"If we want to use the device we must take a shuttle now," Mec calmly informed Douglas. Without answering Douglas headed for the door. "What of Vaiyer?" Mec asked to Douglas' retreating form. Douglas paused and looked over his shoulder to where Vaiyer was slouched unconscious against the wall. He said nothing and walked away. Mec went over to Vaiyer and draped the unconscious form over his shoulder before leaving for the shuttle bay.  
  
On Voyager crewmembers were thrown from their positions as the displacement wave hurtled them across the galaxy. In a few seconds it would end but not before causing more damage. Tom noticed the reading on his console and knew what was coming. Ducking for cover the console exploded but he avoided the brunt of the explosion.  
  
A moment later the smoke on the bridge was clearing and various crewmembers were the raising themselves from the floor. Captain Janeway surveyed the bridge crew. Everybody was alright basically. The ride coming back was better than the one going since they had been prepared but they knew the damage would be massive.  
  
"Harry, what's our current location?" Kathryn asked.  
  
After a few moments Harry was coherent enough to respond. "We're….we're just over 450 light years from sector 001." Harry said as a smile covered his features. It would take them less than six months to get to earth.  
  
"I'm receiving reports of injuries, no fatalities," Tuvok reported.  
  
Kathryn smiled. "Start on repairs," she said.  
  
In front of the helm controls Tom was trying to get up with B'Elanna's help but was having difficulties due to his injuries. "Vulcans can sure throw a punch," Tom joked but there was too much cocern for his health to laugh at a bad joke.  
  
"We're going to sickbay," B'Elanna stated, not leaving any room for argument.  
  
The six months were spent on repairs, contacting Starfleet and securing the status of the Maquis crewmembers and for Tom looking over his shoulder. He knew Douglas would use the device if only to get back at him and make good on his death threat. However long range sensors didn't detect any displacement waves or spatial distortions in the area. Wherever Douglas, Mec and Vaiyer were they weren't nearby.  
  
In the dark quarters two forms lay in each other's arms, content where they were. B'Elanna ran her hand through his hair while Tom simply lay there with a soft smile on his features. Her finger brushed against the scar on his forehead and she traced the jagged lines.  
  
"You could get this removed," B'Elanna said to him softly in one of the rare moments when she was totally at peace; not worrying about an engineering problem or what was lurking beyond the next star system.  
  
"You mean I *should* get it removed."  
  
"No you could. You don't have to keep reminding yourself."  
  
"I don't want to be like him."  
  
"You're not."  
  
  
  
"Mr. Paris, what can I do for you? Injured yourself in the holodeck?" The Doctor asked cheerfully and Tom pondered for a moment how the Doctor could be so irritating even when he was cheerful.  
  
"No, I injured myself while helping replace a relay." Tom showed him the cut on his forearm. The gash ran a straight path up the side of his forearm. The Doctor retrieved the necessary instrument and easily healed the wound.  
  
"Is there anything else?" the Doctor asked.  
  
"Yeah," Tom looked down for a moment before meeting the Doc's eyes. "Could you remove this?" Tom took off his headband showing the Doctor the scar.  
  
"Yes, of course. It's a simple procedure," the Doctor said more caringly. He knew the Tom had gotten it as a child and it held a meaning for him that nobody else could truly comprehend.  
  
Tom sat there while the Doctor fixed the scar and a few minutes later the jagged lines had vanished leaving smooth skin in place.  
  
"Thank you," Tom said awkwardly. He reached for his headband to put it on out of habit but he realized he no longer needed it. He left sickbay leaving the black fabric on the bio bed. The Doctor watched him go hoping Tom would finally be able to let go of an old but long chapter of his life.  
  
  
  
They went directly back to earth not stopping at any star bases or stations. During the trip through Federation space a few ships escorted them on certain legs of the journey and when they arrived back on Earth several ships and crews greeted them along with the top Starfleet brass.  
  
The reception hall was packed with family members. Harry was talking with Libby, who was still single, and his parents. Kathryn was talking quietly with Mark, Chakotay was talking with Ayala and his two sons and Tuvok was talking calmly with his family. B'Elanna and Tom were together while they conversed with her mother. Her father had not been able to make it but hoped to be in San Francisco this weekend to see her. The hostility between B'Elanna and her mother was still high but it had calmed somewhat with the extended time apart.  
  
"Tommy?" Tom turned around when he heard his mother's voice call his name.  
  
"Mom!" Tom managed to get out before he had an armful of his mother. She hugged him for a full minute not wanting to let go.  
  
"I was so worried about you," she confessed with tears brimming.  
  
"Mom, I'm okay," Tom assured her. He saw his father coming towards them finally catching up with his wife. "Dad," Tom smiled again. Tom was rather surprised when his father pulled him into a hug. They had never been highly affectionate.  
  
"It's good to have you back," Owen said to his son.  
  
"And who is this?" Emily said smiling at B'Elanna and Tom commenced with the introductions.  
  
A few meters away Moira and Kathleen were approaching. They hung back a few moments and just watched the scene before them. Both of their parents were smiling and talking happily with Tom and his girlfriend. They had taken the loss of Voyager hard. They had already lost Tom once, twice had nearly been too much.  
  
End Part 8: Event Horizon  
  
Coming later…  
  
Part 9: Final Stand  
  
Epilogue 


	10. Part 9: Final Stand

1 And This Is His Story 9  
  
By Zappy Zaps  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
1.1 Thanks Brigid, for all your help!!  
  
Part 9: Final Stand  
  
Four years later….  
  
Tom stepped out of the shuttle that brought him home. He said a quick thank you to the pilot and rushed up the walkway to the Paris residence. He had been on a three-week shakedown cruise testing out a new class of Starfleet vessels and was more than happy to be returning home to his family.  
  
The front door opened before he had even reached the front steps and his very pregnant wife came rushing towards him. Meeting her halfway he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a loving kiss. Following the same path as B'Elanna but at a slower rate was his mother.  
  
B'Elanna was six months pregnant, which due to her Klingon heritage, meant that she was in her final trimester and there would be another little Paris running around soon. They had asked the doctor not to inform them of their child's sex, not wanting to spoil the surprise.  
  
Tom hadn't been comfortable going on a mission with B'Elanna so far along in her pregnancy but she had assured him she would be fine. Tom went on the mission under the condition that B'Elanna stay with his parents, just in case. He didn't want her living alone. B'Elanna had consented and for the past three weeks she had been the guest of Emily and Owen who welcomed her with open arms.  
  
Plenty had happened over the past four years. The Maquis had all been pardoned and some of them had decided to continue their service in Starfleet to help with the war against the Dominion. The war was over now and many of the Maquis went back to their colonies to help rebuild and be with their families. The DMZ was not officially part of the federation but was under the protection of Starfleet and the Federation while the treaties were in the works.  
  
The Doctor had been studied in detail by the Starfleet scientists and was later granted sentience. He was currently working at Starfleet medical creating new procedures and teaching the ones he had created while in the Delta Quadrant.  
  
Chakotay had accepted a teaching job at the academy while Captain Janeway continued to command Voyager after it had gone through a refit, with Commander Tuvok serving as her first officer and Lieutenant Kim still the head of Operations.  
  
B'Elanna, until a month ago, had been working at a research center on earth along with Tom. They had decided to work at the same place to stay together. A few months after returning Tom and B'Elanna were married and soon after Harry and Libby had tied the knot as well.  
  
Tom had finally been completely secure in his position and it was reflected in his career. He had been promoted a few times and was now a Commander. More comfortable with his role and his occupation, Tom had been able to let go of the life he used to lead and concentrate on his new one. He didn't know one aspect of his old life would bring all this to an abrupt halt. He had lived regretting not killing Douglas when he had the chance; he would die with the same regret.  
  
A few days later Tom and B'Elanna arrived at a planet a few light years away. There was a conference taking place in the Yoma system that Captain Janeway was attending. She had extended the invitation to her senior officers and Kes and Neelix since they were her closets compatriots from Voyager. It turned into a small reunion of the Voyager crew.  
  
Kes had aged due to the short Ocampan lifespan but was still her cheerful and insightful self. Admiral Paris was also present at the conference as a Starfleet representative.  
  
Friends reminisced and found out what was happening in each other's lives. They still kept in touch with each other and most of the crew. Each one of them had ties to different members of their old crew and they were able to exchange a lot of news. It was a nice vacation but short- lived.  
  
While they were relaxing in a lounge at the Starfleet diplomatic building Captain Janeway's commbadge chirped and an officer warned them that there had been a security breach. Everyone's first move was to get Kes, Neelix and B'Elanna to safety while the others attended to their duties. They didn't know that the person who had breached security was out to settle an old vendetta.  
  
"Tom!" Tom turned around and saw his father coming towards him.  
  
"Dad, you should get out of here." Tom knew this person might decide to go after a high-ranking official and an Admiral was a good target.  
  
"I belong here," Owen said stubbornly and continued with his son down the corridor. They entered one of the security control rooms where Captain Janeway and Tuvok were waiting.  
  
Going through the procedure, they managed to isolate the bio-sign of the intruder, Tom recognized it and his heart began to race. It was half human and half something else. A species no one could identify but Tom had seen it many times before. He darted from the room after grabbing a phaser. Tuvok and Owen followed but when they exited the room the corridor was vacant. Tom had been too fast for them and now they didn't know where he was going.  
  
Tom ran full speed through the hallways heading towards the room where B'Elanna and the others had been taken for safety. Douglas was heading in that direction as well. Security would have beamed them out but a malfunction in the transporter system had mysteriously appeared. Tom recognized it as Douglas' handy work and knew he was playing for keeps. He knew it was most a trap but he had to protect B'Elanna and his friends. This was between him and Douglas.  
  
He arrived at the room where B'Elanna, Neelix and Kex were but there was one uninvited guest with trio. Tom came to an immediate halt once the door opened. Douglas was seated on the armrest of one of the chair holding a weapon to B'Elanna's head. He looked tired and there was a maniacal glint in his eye, which scared Tom but he didn't let it show.  
  
For the past four years, Douglas, Vaiyer and Mec had been travelling towards the Federation. It had been a long journey in a small ship but they had survived. When they had used the displacement device they waited too long and the explosive was detonated while they were using it. It threw them years short of the Federation but Douglas' grim determination had practically powered the ship as it limped to Federation Space. Once they made it to the border. Vaiyer and Mec had left and gone there own ways, leaving Douglas alone.  
  
He was no longer the strong leader he had been. On the small ship they had too much time to think and while Vaiyer and Mec had decided to take different paths Douglas had become unstable; revenge had been his driving force for those years and he would finally get his chance.  
  
He seemed to have aged a decade in the four years and the calm confident countenance he had always had before had crumbled leaving a deranged man in its place.  
  
"You've been busy," Douglas said as he patted B'Elanna's swollen stomach.  
  
"Don't touch her," Tom warned and took a step forward but immediately back tracked when Douglas pressed the weapon to her head. "No, don't!"  
  
"Don't you tell me what to do, boy!"  
  
"Please let them go. I'm begging you." Nothing else mattered to him other than saving his friends, B'Elanna and their child.  
  
A smile crossed Douglas's lined features and he waved for B'Elanna and the two delta quadrant natives to leave. B'Elanna quickly moved away from Douglas looking as though she wanted nothing more than to teach that man not to mess with a pregnant, temperamental Klingon but the safety of her child made her calmly walk away and towards Tom. She paused when she reached him not wanting to leave Tom alone with a man who had caused him so much pain.  
  
"Go," he urged her softly. Their eyes met and Tom whispered to her the three affectionate words that always made her smile. She left a few seconds later with Kes and Neelix.  
  
"Well, now that we're alone…" Douglas trailed off and just looked at Tom, contempt shining from his eyes.  
  
"What the hell do you want? Why won't you leave me alone?" Tom asked, angry at first but weary by the end. There was no forthcoming answer and the two remained in silence for a few moments.  
  
"You….you were always….annoying me…" Douglas started but he didn't have much to say. There was no logical reason for Douglas to feel so much hatred towards Tom but he didn't care.  
  
"Tom," the both heard the voice and Tom knew it was his father's. He was going to yell and warn his father away but Douglas raised his weapon again and Tom stayed still. "Tom," Owen said in relief but when he saw the other man with the weapon the relief vanished. He looked at the man's face and recognized it; the man who had kidnapped his son. "You!" Owen was going to go after him but Douglas re-aimed his weapon at him and he stopped. "Security is coming. You can't get away with this," Owen told him but Douglas had no intentions of getting away.  
  
"How true you are. I better do this now. Every other time I was interrupted but not this time." Douglas smiled and was about to press the button on the phaser aimed at Owen…  
  
"Dad!" Tom yelled and was going to push him out of the way.  
  
Douglas shifted his aim and pressed the button. A fiery beam of energy erupted form the tip of the weapon and hit its target.  
  
Tom felt the burning pain in his chest. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. He saw the smile on Douglas' face and the fear and shock on his father's. He fell to the ground barely conscious. Owen raised his weapon and fired at Douglas not even knowing what setting the weapon was on. Douglas collapsed but Owen paid him no mind as he went to his son.  
  
"Tom!" Owen called hoping Tom would focus his eyes on him. "Come on Tom, stay awake!" Tom's eyes opened and closed as he tried to do as his father had instructed but his chest hurt and he was in pain. "Paris to Medical Bay, medical emergency!" Owen frantically yelled into his commbadge. He knew his son needed immediate medical attention.  
  
"Admiral," Tuvok and a few other security officers arrived but could do nothing to help Tom. "Tuvok to Doctor, your assistance is immediately required," Tuvok called the Doc just as B'Elanna rounded the corner.  
  
"Tuvok where are they?"  
  
Tuvok looked to his left and saw B'Elanna coming down the corridor in a hurry. There little an expression on his face but after spending years on the same ship she could read his body language and knew something was wrong. Fighting her way past Tuvok she saw her husband lying on the cold floor with Owen over him trying to hold his attention. "Tom!"  
  
"Open your eyes, Tommy!" Owen said. A few seconds later Tom's eyes opened again. His eyes where glazed and he wasn't totally coherent and they all knew he was dying.  
  
"I love you," Tom whispered to B'Elanna when he saw her over him. She told him the same and a tear took a silent trail down her face. Raising his hand he wiped it away and B'Elanna held his hand there. His movements, usually so strong and sure were now weak and his muscles trembled with the effort of moving. "Don't worry." He tried to make her feel better but he knew he wasn't fooling her. As his life slipped away she could feel piece of herself leaving with him. "I'll always be with you." His eyes began to close but they opened a moment later. He had so much to say before he left but there was no time.  
  
"Tom, please hold on," Owen pleaded.  
  
"Love….you …Dad…" Tom managed to choke out in his last breath. He looked once more at B'Elanna. "Tell my son, I love him…." His eyes closed slowly and despite the yells, the tears and the broken hearts, nothing they did could bring him back. The slight pressure on her hand eased and Tom's hand slipped from hers and fell to the ground.  
  
"Tom?" she called hoping he would open her eyes again but deep down she knew he was gone. "Tom! Please come back!" she kept calling him but there was no response, driving home the fact that he had passed on. "Tom, don't leave me alone!"  
  
Owen's eyes were closed tightly. He tried in vain to hold back the tears as his son passed. He heard his daughter-in-law crying but he was frozen and couldn't offer any comfort as a part of him died as well.  
  
Chakotay, Kathryn, Harry and the Doctor arrived. They had heard the pleas from down the corridor and had hoped there was still a chance but they saw with their own eyes that Tom Paris was dead. Harry went to B'Elanna and pulled her away from Tom's body as the Doctor ran a tricorder over him. The Doctor closed the tricorder but couldn't look up at anybody to tell them; he didn't need to.  
  
Harry held B'Elanna as she cried and tears flowed freely down his face as well. Kathryn moved to Owen's side hoping to offer what little comfort she could. Tearstains glistened on his face and he didn't try to hide them. The same man who had taken his son when he was only five had taken him again, only this time there was no chance Tom would somehow find his way back.  
  
  
  
The funeral was held a few days later on earth. Voyager's original crew, all who could make it, came to pay their last respects and mourn a life cut tragically short.  
  
Two and a half weeks after the funeral B'Elanna gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Somehow Tom had known his child would be a boy and she smiled faintly. The baby had dark hair and cranial ridges about as pronounced as B'Elanna's but he had sky blue eyes, identical to Tom's.  
  
The Doctor delivered the baby with Harry and Emily Paris at B'Elanna's side during the delivery. Chakotay, Kathryn, Neelix and Kes where in the waiting room during the birth. Tuvok was away visiting his family on Vulcan and had missed the event. When they saw the baby for the first time they could see the ridges and dark hair and when the child briefly opened his eyes they were all caught by surprise by the blue eyes that looked back at them. They could see hints of Tom in the baby already. How would this child grow up without his father?  
  
Too many pages of a book left unturned and with his departure, Tom left behind his family, his beautiful wife, his newborn son, many friends….  
  
….And this was his story.  
  
  
  
End Part 9: Final Stand  
  
I'm so evil! :-)  
  
Epilogue coming soon….  
  
Leave a review please!! Or send comments and constructive criticism to zappyzaps@hotmail.com 


	11. Epilogue

1 And This Is His Story  
  
By Zappy Zaps  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
1.1  
  
Epilogue:  
  
Standing in front of the tombstone that marked his the grave he read the name engraved into the surface: Thomas Eugene Paris. This man was his father. He stared at the name. He hadn't come here often, usually his mom came alone. The four times he had accompanied her he'd never been left alone.  
  
"Hi Dad," the young man said, feeling slightly awkward. He had never met his father but he felt as if he knew him. His mother had told him all sorts of stories and could see it in her eyes even now, eighteen years later, she still loved him as much as she always had.  
  
"I thought I should come see you before I left. I'm going to Starfleet Academy." He sighed wishing his father were really here. Uncle Harry and his Grandfather Owen had been the largest male influences in his life and whenever he asked they told him stories about his father. "Mom said you would have been proud of me." He smiled faintly. "I wish you could tell me yourself." He paused. "I get to hear so much about you, and believe me I know everything from the amazing pilot you were to how your brow creased when you were concentrating. Yeah, mom told me *everything*, well…almost everything," the smile on his face faded, "But I never met you, I never knew you and I wish I did. Uncle Harry's always telling me how much like you I am."  
  
He looked around and saw other people talking to the headstones of their loved ones and felt better knowing he wasn't the only one doing this. He ran a hand through his hair, an exact mimic of Tom, to get the dark hair out of his face. He crouched down and gingerly touched the cool stone. "I wish I knew you," he said quietly.  
  
He remembered his mother's words from words from their nightly routine when he was a child: 'Your father loves you', she would tell him.  
  
"I love you too, Dad," he whispered. "I wish I had the chance to know you."  
  
"Tommy," his mother's voice called.  
  
"I don't think she'll ever stop calling me that," he said to his father. His friends referred to him as Tom but she still called him Tommy. He placed the flowers at the base of the stone before he stood. He saw her coming towards him and smiled. She kissed him on the cheek and them proceeded to straighten out his hair. "Mom," he whined.  
  
"You've been running your hand through it again," she said smiling. Her brown eyes still held the fire they always did. Her hair had was lighter but her skin was still mostly line-free due to her Klingon genes. "Ready to go?" she asked and Tom nodded.  
  
  
  
"Tom."  
  
"Hey, Uncle Harry," Tom said with a smile. He was packing his bags before he left for the Academy. Harry walked into Tom Junior's room. Harry was now the Captain of the Rhode Island and a proud father of two girls. B'Elanna had never served on a ship after Voyager, nor had she never remarried; Klingons mate for life, she had told Harry and Chakotay, so she had to raise Tommy. She got help from Emily and Owen, who treated her no differently after Tom's death, and her parents helped out. Still taking three week or longer missions was out of the question for her. She remained at the research facility so she could work on earth most of the time.  
  
Harry picked up a framed picture that sat on Tom's dresser. It was a picture of B'Elanna and Tom Sr. together. He, like the others, missed Tom, even now.  
  
"What happened to Douglas?" Tom asked out of the blue and Harry turned his attention back to his honorary nephew.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Douglas, the man who killed him," Tom gestured to the picture with his father's image.  
  
"He's in prison." Harry said and replaced the picture.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"It doesn't matter. You should finish packing," Harry said evenly. Tom stared at his uncle for a moment before returning to his bag. Harry gave Tom a quick look before walking out thinking the stubborn gene was one of the things Paris' passed along to the next generation; but then again, B'Elanna was a fairly stubborn person too.  
  
  
  
"You have a visitor," the guard said. The man on the cot sat up wondering who it could be. He had been here for nearly twenty years and had never once received a visitor other than that psychiatrist who used to visit. He stopped coming fifteen, maybe sixteen years ago.  
  
He was escorted to the room where he was allowed to meet with his visitor, under guard. At the single table in the room sat a young man with dark hair. He was looking at the tabletop and tabletop and Douglas could not see his eyes.  
  
"Who the devil are you?"  
  
The young man looked up and blue eyes met dark brown. The convict stepped forward the shackles binding his ankles clinking loudly.  
  
"Thomas?"  
  
"I'm not the Thomas you've mistaken me for. The man you killed was my father,"  
  
"Oh, so you're his bastard child," Douglas collapsed into the other seat.  
  
Tom just stared at the dishevelled man. He obviously didn't know the definition of a bastard.  
  
"Why did you do it?" Tom finally asked.  
  
"Why'd I kill him?" Douglas' tone carried no regret. He shrugged. "Why not?"  
  
"If you had just left him alone you could still be free-"  
  
"And you would still have a father," Douglas added and after a moment Tom nodded. "Well, too bad, son. Things just don't turn out the way you want them to."  
  
"No they don't," Tom looked down at the table again.  
  
"I don't really have a good reason." Douglas began again. He brought his hand up to stroke the beard on his face. and Tom noticed the chain was barely long enough for the gesture. "I really didn't like him though. Always pissing me off he was. You're lucky you didn't know him."  
  
"If I had half the chance I'd make you pay for what you did to him and for what you've put us through; my mother, my family…."  
  
"Your father could never manage to do it. He was so spineless. You're more like me," Douglas said with a smile plastered on his aged face.  
  
"I am nothing like you. You are a coward." They stared at each other for tense moments before Tom ended the meeting. He got up and left without a backwards look. As he walked away he heard the harsh laugh of the older man, a man who had lost his ignoble purpose and with it his mind.  
  
"Tommy! Where were you, we've been calling everybody wondering if they knew! Are you alright?" Tommy's Grandmother Paris asked, nearly hysterical.  
  
"I'm okay. I just had to….see someone." He replied carefully.  
  
"You went to Mentari 4 didn't you?" a voice from outside the screen asked. Tommy recognized his grandfather's voice.  
  
"Yes," he said solemnly. Owen moved into the range of the screen.  
  
"Did you get any answers?" Owen asked, though he wasn't truly interested. Nothing that lunatic said would bring back his son.  
  
"No good ones," Tom replied.  
  
After a moment Owen spoke again with a soft voice laced with fatigue. "Come home, Tommy,"  
  
"I am. I'll be back in three hours."  
  
Owen nodded and Tommy ended the transmission.  
  
The shuttle crossed the empty space looping and flipping as skilled hands manoeuvred the nimble craft. His lips curved into a grin as he did what came naturally to him; another legacy his father left him. Knowing he would be in for an earful but smiling anyway, he headed home…  
  
…and another story begins anew.  
  
End Epilogue  
  
  
  
That's it finally done! Yay, you're all saying. I know you'll miss it don't even try lying to me. Tell me what you think please. If you've already left a review (or more), good, now leave another one :)  
  
Stuff to zappyzaps@hotmail.com 


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